Bison, Hood River, Oregon
Artist
Robert von Sternberg
((b. 1939))
Date2016
Mediumarchival inkjet print
Dimensions13 × 19 inches (33 × 48.3 cm)
Image: 11 × 16 1/2 inches (27.9 × 41.9 cm)
Image: 11 × 16 1/2 inches (27.9 × 41.9 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Artist, 2016
Object number2016.8.5.3
ClassificationsPhotographs
Label TextA traveler, Robert von Sternberg gravitates to roadside attractions. With strong emphasis on the contrasts of light and dark, he reinvigorates what often seems mundane. In Bison, Hood River, Oregon, the photograph’s starting point was a large concrete sculpture of a white buffalo. This symbol stands outside a wine bar in a small Oregon city. Von Sternberg used the darkness of night to isolate the sculptural form from contemporary life. The artificial light then directs the view to the powerful presence of the animal. The photograph restores a sense of mystery and might to the idea of the bison. Connect with W.H. Dunton’s Last of the Buffalo and Karl Bodmer’s Ptihn-Tak-Ochatä, Dance of the Mandan Women.
ProvenanceArtist; gifted July 13, 2016 to the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation; accessioned to the Stark Museum of Art
On View
Not on view
