Maybe It's the Color (4)

Mark Ruwedel is that rare photographer who works seriously in both black and white and color.


Mark Ruwedel, Antelope Valley # 7, 2005

What interests me about him is how much better he is in color.


Mark Ruwedel, Coachella Valley # 1, 2004

Coachella Valley No. 1, though every bit as bleak, has a unity and naturalness that eludes Antelope Valley No. 7. (And if you have a copy of the current Blindspot, compare Ruwedel's black and white work with the color photograph in the advertisement for Gallery Luisotti, his dealer. The difference is striking.)

So there's another thing color's good for: working against the apparent intent of a photograph, in this case countering desolation with delicacy.