The Mountain and I

Alpine photography of Vittorio Sella and Bradford Washburn

From September 21 to November 14, 2006, the DeMenil Gallery at Groton School will exhibit 38 black and white photographs by Bradford Washburn and Vittorio Sella. Dramatic vistas from the Matterhorn and Alpine glaciers to Alaskan peaks and snow covered expanses, represent the life and work of two extraordinary men, and reflect the power of their creative visions along with the grandeur of the places they explored.

 

Vittorio Sella (1859-1943), Italian pioneer Alpinist and photographer, has been largely forgotten in the history of photography, yet at one time he enjoyed international acclaim for his beautiful and scientifically significant photographs. Now we get a chance to see his pristine mountain landscapes, photographed at the beginning of modern Alpinism.

 

Bradford Washburn, born two generations later in 1910, had an equally strong instinct for exploration as Sella, who was one of Washburn's early influences. Preeminent alpinist, 41 year director of the Boston Museum of Science, writer, cartographer, and 1929 Groton School alumnus, Washburn is a renowned photographer, who often used survey planes to capture birds' eye views of uncharted territories.

 

When we see photographs of icy expanses and inaccessible craggy peaks, it is easy to forget the exceptional effort it took to capture these images. Braving thin air, treacherous terrain, freezing temperatures and the burden of heavy and cumbersome equipment, Washburn and Sella both proved themselves to possess a resilience and sense of purpose far beyond that of most men. This is in itself a stunning testament to each man's dedication and indomitable spirit. The difference in viewpoint between these two bodies of work make for an interesting comparison, and also mirrors the technological age within which each man worked.

 

While very few of us will attempt such treacherous expeditions ourselves, Sella and Washburn's images offer a visual journey from snowy summits to deep crevices. Photographs depicting the majesty of rock and sky, the scale of man against nature, can make us feel both mortal and eternal, and speak to our connection with the land.

 

A third component of this exhibit includes four photographs by photographer and journalist David Arnold, who, in 2005, revisited and re-photographed four of Bradford Washburn's landscapes. Using photographs as scientific documents, Arnold explores the physical changes in these remote areas over time. When compared side-by-side with Washburn's earlier work, these images showcase signs of global warming and glacial melt, raising environmental debate about our changing earth.