American photographer Richard Misrach was born in 1949 and is well-known for his large-format color photographs of the deserts of the American West. Using photography, Misrach has documented the environmental and sociological changes brought about by urbanization, tourism, industrialization, and military activities. Over his career, he has investigated the connection between natural landscapes and human activity. One of his most well-known series, Desert Cantos, captures both the beauty and destruction of these regions. The series addresses issues such as nuclear testing, wildfires, flooding, and the effects of military drills in places like Nevada’s Bravo 20 Bombing Range on the environment.
Though Misrach’s photography is deeply political, he balances this with an artistic sensibility that brings out the breathtaking and often haunting aspects of the landscapes that he captures. In addition to showing environmental deterioration, his images encourage viewers to reflect on how humans have impacted natural areas. His work has been, as he once said, “about navigating these two extremes – the political and the aesthetic.”
As a result of Misrach’s work addressing ecological, political, and sociological themes, critics and curators have praised him by making him a central figure in the movement to use photography for environmental advocacy.
