Joe Deal

The three artists whose work is displayed here focus on the human-altered landscape. Earlier photographers typically cropped out what interfered with capturing a sublime view; but since the 1970s, it is precisely those interventions that have captured the image makers’ attention. Deal was at the forefront of artists looking at urban development spreading into pristine landscapes. His California views often spotlight the peculiarly stark border between expansion and the natural world. Rantoul’s image was made on the island of Bermuda, although it could be anywhere. Smith was astounded by the extreme degree of earth shifting by Los Angeles area developers in the early 1990s. His images often capture the measures taken to scrape away the earth, hold it from erosion and reconfigure it.