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Long Lake, WA 10 (work of art)

Artwork Info

Created
2012
Nationality
American
Birth/Death
1982-
Dimensions
29 7/8 × 38 1/8 inches (75.9 × 96.8 centimeters)

Credit

Purchased with funds from the Friends of Photography

© Matthew Brandt

Object Number
2013.12
Culture
American
Classification
Photography
Department
Modern

Key Ideas about this Work of Art

  • This is a photograph of Long Lake in Washington State. The photograph has been soaked in water from the lake, which has caused it to break down and change colors.
  • Matthew Brandt is an experimental photographer. He physically incorporates his subjects into his photos of them. For his Lakes and Reservoirs series, Brandt soaked his photographic prints of lakes in the water from those specific lakes. The chemicals in the lake water changed the color and tone of the photographs.
  • Brandt’s lake photographs bring attention to water quality issues and other environmental concerns.

Learn More

Brandt’s photograph calls as much attention to his creative process as to the image itself. The artist shoots postcard-perfect lake views and then soaks the photographic prints in water from the specific lake depicted. The process permanently alters the image, with changes in tone and color determined by the chemical makeup of the lake water. Seeing the effects of the water on the print suggests an environmental hazard—a lake that appears pristine might be hiding pollution (both natural and chemical) beneath the surface. 

Brandt says he is influenced by 19th-century Hudson River artists, who often painted wide views of landscapes, or panoramas. He updates that tradition in this abstract, jewel-like work that looks more like a painting than a photograph.

Additional Resources

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Images

  • A photograph of a lake surrounded by trees, with a grassy shore in the foreground and a wooden dock extending into the water. The image is partially hidden by dark splotches and thick white lines with ragged red edges.

    Long Lake, WA 10