Edward Weston: The Last Years in Carmel

This book appears in conjunction with an exhibition organized by The Art Institute of Chicago that focuses on the late work of photographer Edward Weston. Taken between1938 and 1948, these images reveal his shift from his formalist style, characterized by technological virtuosity and innovative compositions, to one that accommodated a greater psychological component. The first photographs of this period date from Weston’s return to his spiritual home near Carmel, California, during his second Guggenheim fellowship. He now saw the surrounding coast with different eyes: while he had once focused on details and still lifes, he now found himself drawn to vistas, horizons, the movement of water, and moody atmospheres of elemental power. The seventy-plus photographs in this book, sumptuously printed in tritone reproductions, include–in addition to his images of nature–Weston’s powerful portraits of his immediate family, as well as domestic scenes taken in and around his home. Also included is a critical essay exploring Weston’s life and work during this period, by David Travis, Curator of Photography at the Art Institute and a longtime specialist in the career of Edward Weston.