About the Work
This photograph is part of Sternfeld’s series High Line, which depicts the raised railroad line that runs along the Hudson River on the West side of downtown Manhattan. Recently converted into a public park, Sternfeld’s image reveals the landscape before it was revitalized, when it was still an isolated wilderness marked by breathtaking views of New York City.
About the Artist
A pioneer of polychromatic photography, Joel Sternfeld is best known for his exploration of human-altered landscapes in the United States, his shots of recent tragedies, and his images of degraded landscapes, including the Hunt Island cemetery, where the homeless of New York City are buried. A native New Yorker, Sternfeld is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards including the Prix de Rome, the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, and the National Endowment for the Arts Photographers Fellowship.
Sternfeld has greatly influenced the current generation of color photographers, a group that includes Andreas Gurksy and Thomas Struth. As a recipient of both critical and institutional success, his ethereally beautiful images recapture the social history of locations that are haunted by the past.
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