Lake Vistas
Lake Vistas is an edition of large scale multi-photograph landscapes focused on the sky and waters of Lake Michigan. Over the course of three years Lincoln Schatz has gone to the lake with a ritual-like dedication. Returning to Lake Michigan to photograph it on a near daily basis. The expansive landscapes seen in this edition are only possible on a handful of times each year. The artworks in Lake Vistas are composed of two photographs which in turn give these works their immersive scale.
“I was as wakeful even as waters are
To the sky’s motion, in a kindred sense…”
William Wordsworth, 1805 Prelude
Lake Michigan sits to the east of Chicago. With twenty-two thousand square miles in total surface area, there are times and places on the lake where it can be hard to imagine it possessing boundaries. It is that scale, the broad shouldered nature of the lake, that creates this unique landscape. These medium-format photographs by Schatz create expansive views of water and sky that stretch away for as far as you can seen.
“In Lake Vistas the eye travels across the water to the horizon. Taking in the open expanse of sky and lake found in each diptych.”
Lincoln Schatz
To call it a lake is deceiving. Lake Michigan possesses a power and grandeur unlike most lakes. It is constantly in flux and always in relationship with the weather that passes over it. The lake can shift rapidly from still waters to crashing waves in a moments notice. This constantly evolving dynamic between air and water creates the unique landscapes Schatz photographs here. On the lake every day is different from the last.
The Lake Vistas edition explores the dialog between the water and sky. Filling these generous photographs from edge to edge. There is a detailed, nuanced quality in the subtle moments found in this edition filled with beguiling views of Lake Michigan.
The lake provides a counter-point to the hard edges and man-made materials of the city it adjoins. It pushes back against the rigid and immovable.
“A normal lake is knowable. A Great Lake can hold all the mysteries of an ocean, and then some.”
Dan Egan, The Death and Life of the Great Lakes
There is a flatness that comes with much of the land found in the American midwest that spreads away from Lake Michigan. And while not seen visually in this edition, its presence can be felt. It is a sweeping and open landscape. In these photographs by Schatz, Lake Michigan extends and transforms the rolling hills into waves on the water.
“By extending the format of a traditional camera for the Lake Vistas edition, the scale and immersive quality of the work gives viewers the opportunity to stand on the shoreline beside me. Witnessing the remarkable beauty of this mercurial landscape.”
Lincoln Schatz
Historically, there is a tendency to depict Lake Michigan in relationship to humans. Whether through military, industry or leisure. A lake photograph often shows its edges. Emphasizing a smaller and more diminutive scale in comparison to the views seen traditionally in seascapes.
In Lake Vistas, Schatz pushes against these traditions, and expands the edges of the photograph. These photographs give a sense of all-encompassing scale that is more frequently associated with the ocean, but that certainly can be felt on Lake Michigan when the conditions are just right.
“This is perhaps what photographers have begun to do, starting with the intuition that one must begin with respectful attention to what remains alive, even if scarred and harshly used, and trusting that attention will grow into affection, and affection into a measure of competence, so that we might in time learn again to live not merely on the earth but with it.”
John Szarkowski, American landscapes: photographs from the collection of the Museum of Modern Art
Landscape photography in America was often historically tied to government and private geological surveys that were initiated almost in parallel to the invention and development of film. These surveys were often focused on the resources of the land, locating materials that could be extracted for profit. Lake Michigan has suffered greatly in the industrialization of America.
The impacts of an ever expanding city, poor land stewardship and industrial runoff have all damaged the lake. Altering the landscape irrevocably. Today, many groups are fighting to protect and rehabilitate this incredible natural resource. All along photography has born witness to these transformations. The story of America and the lake is told through the camera lens.
“In the years since beginning to photograph the lake I am reminded again and again to take care with the lake. It demands respect, and to under-appreciate it’s power is a dangerous proposal. That sense of respect and awe that I have for Lake Michigan is what draws me back to it for this edition.”
Lincoln Schatz
The photographs found in Lake Vistas focus entirely upon the lake as its subject. Signs of humanity are avoided so that these expansive photographs function as a reminder of how important it is to preserve and protect Lake Michigan. The edition is a celebration of the daily beauty, power and character of this unique place.
“To every natural form, rock, fruit or flower,
Even the loose stones that cover the highway,
I gave a moral life – I saw them feel,
Or linked them to some feeling.”
William Wordsworth, 1805 Prelude
To learn more about framing & pricing for Lincoln Schatz’s Lake Vistas please click here. If you have any questions or would like to purchase a work from this edition, please do not hesitate to get in touch.