Sierra Club Handbook - 1947
Sierra Spring Thaw, c.1958 George F. Anderson
Once again I've been leafing through George's collection of Sierra Club Bulletins and Handbooks. An article featuring 16 photographs by Ansel Adams caught my eye. Here are notes from the 1947 Sierra Club Handbook, "On Interpretation of the Natural Scene" now illustrated by 15 photographs by George. Today I start with the first 5 images.
"On the Interpretation of the Natural Scene" - "As the yeas have passed, the trend of exploration has become more sharply focused on the intimate aspects of the scene....We are, however, transcribing exploration into experience; we are seeking a closer contact and deeper understanding of the natural scene in both its vast and delicate aspects."
"Obviously, the corpus and the spirit of the mountain are two very different entities. A mountain provides an impressive symbol of the wonder and beauty of the natural world, of contact with the primal purities of nature, of the cleanliness and the emotional stimulus of the realities of the earth."
Wow! These words resonate with me the "primal" human need for "wildness", or nature.
“The world of Stone, and Space, and Sky”…….
“Of simple growing things”…….
“Of the Antiquities of Nature”……
“Reveals to all People”…….
“ the Patterns of Eternity”……
Stayed tuned for the continued story!