Figure & Tide
View Similar Items
Jeffrey ConleyFigure & Tide2001
2001
About the Item
- Creator:Jeffrey Conley (1969, American)
- Creation Year:2001
- Dimensions:Height: 8 in (20.32 cm)Width: 8 in (20.32 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Santa Monica, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14429512
Jeffrey Conley
Jeffrey Conley describes his crisp black-and-white photographs of natural phenomena as “meditative” experiences. In the meditation world, one of the most common metaphors used to characterize a human being’s relationship to consciousness is that of waves on the ocean: Consciousness itself is the ocean, and every thought, sensation, emotion and even the idea of a stand-alone self is a wave, still part of the vast body of water yet minuscule in comparison to it.
Conley’s contemplative 2001 photograph Figure and Tide is, indeed, an image of a sparkling, wide-open Pacific Ocean as well as gently undulating waves. But something even smaller grabs the viewer’s attention here: a tiny female figure standing where the water meets the shore. It is reminiscent of Chinese Taoist and Chan Buddhist ink paintings, in which lone monks or sages are dwarfed by the surrounding landscape to show that humankind is a part of nature, not separate from it.
To get the shot, the Oregon-based photographer perched on one of Big Sur, California’s famous cliffs on a sunny afternoon, aiming his Hasselblad 500C down at the sea below. “I was captivated with the play of light on water and the rhythmic patterns of the wave sets,” he has recalled. “As I was looking through the camera, I noticed a beach walker come into the scene. At first, I was not happy to have a person in there. Then, it all happened very quickly. Just as the white surf encircled her, she turned in perfect profile to gaze out at the ocean.”
Decades after Conley captured this perfect moment, a platinum-palladium print of Figure and Tide went on view in 2023’s “A Beautiful World: The Power of Nature,” at Peter Fetterman Gallery, in Santa Monica. The exhibition brought together striking, monochromatic landscape photos by such pioneers of the form as Ansel Adams, Charles Scowen, Isaiah West Taber and John Edward Sache, alongside contemporary masters like Sebastião Salgado, Pentti Sammallahti, Cig Harvey and Conley.
Find authentic Jeffrey Conley photography on 1stDibs.
- Waterfall, Southern Alps, NZBy Jeffrey ConleyLocated in Santa Monica, CAJeffrey Conley Waterfall, Southern Alps, NZ Platinum/palladium print Negative date 2011/printed 2015 Edition of 20 Image 8 x 8 inches; Sheet 14 x 11 inches Signed and numbered ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsPlatinum
Price Upon Request - Kihti, Finland (Midnight Sun)By Pentti SammallahtiLocated in Santa Monica, CAPentti Sammallahti Kihti, Finland (Midnight Sun) 1976 Gelatin Silver printMaterials
Silver Gelatin
- Pyhäjärvi, Finland (Horse & Barn)By Pentti SammallahtiLocated in Santa Monica, CAPentti Sammallahti Pyhäjärvi, Finland (Horse & Barn) 1982 Gelatin Silver printCategory
20th Century Landscape Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Cilento, ItalyBy Pentti SammallahtiLocated in Santa Monica, CAPentti Sammallahti Cilento, Italy 1999 Gelatin Silver printCategory
20th Century Landscape Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Barun-Khemchik, TuvaBy Pentti SammallahtiLocated in Santa Monica, CAPentti Sammallahti Barun-Khemchik, Tuva 1997 Gelatin Silver printCategory
20th Century Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Philosopher's Tree, Study 3, Biei, Hokkaido, JapanBy Michael KennaLocated in Santa Monica, CAGelatin Silver print mounted to archival board.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
- Canyon of the Rio Grande, 1930By Paul Strand, 1890-1976Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CASigned Paul Strand by Hazel Strand (H.S.). Artist reference number: SW-LAND-436. From the Paul Strand Estate.Category
20th Century Black and White Photography
MaterialsPlatinum
- TSITAKAKOIKE, Andombiry ForestBy Beth MoonLocated in Sante Fe, NM*22x30" editions and 24x36" editions are platinum prints. Editions with a width of 60" or greater are archival pigment prints* Baobabs are one of Africa’s natural wonders: they can ...Category
2010s Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment, Platinum
- Sands of The Himalaya by James Sparshatt. Palladium Platinum Photo - Float FrameBy James SparshattLocated in Coltishall, GBThe Nubra Valley is part of the Tibetan plateau. It is an arid landscape surrounded by awesome peaks, a high altitude desert inhabited by a few small Ladakhi communities and their ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Photography
MaterialsPlatinum
- Bayou Dreaming by James Sparshatt. Palladium Platinum PrintBy James SparshattLocated in Coltishall, GBJust after dawn on the Henderson swamp in Louisiana, with only alligators and storks for company, the hanging moss and primeval cypress trees in calm magnificence. James Sparshatt’s...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Photography
MaterialsPlatinum
- THE WAVE - ArcticLocated in Munich, DELimited Edition of 6 More sizes on request Sebastian Copeland is considered a photographer "who has created works of outstanding artistic quality and conveys messages of urgent glob...Category
2010s Contemporary Landscape Photography
MaterialsPlatinum
- Montauk Bluffs, Ocean Photo Vintage Beach Photograph Platinum Palladium PrintBy Joni SternbachLocated in Surfside, FLThis is a Platinum Palladium print from one of her first ocean-based beach series, a body of platinum/palladium prints that focused on the water's surface. Later, she transferred her...Category
Early 2000s American Modern Black and White Photography
MaterialsPlatinum
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
This Photo of Big Sur Reveals the Awesomeness and Intimacy of Nature
When a beachcomber accidentally stepped in front of Jeffrey Conley’s camera, a perfect moment was captured.
Some of the Best Beatles Photos Were Taken by Paul McCartney
A trove of recently unearthed personal photos adds another dimension to the abundance of press images of the Fab Four.