(Tokyo, Japan, 1948 - )
1997
Selenium toned gelatin silver print
16 5/8 x 21 1/4 in. (42.2 x 54.1 cm)
Collection of the Akron Art Museum
Knight Purchase Fund for Photographic Media
1998.25
© Hiroshi Sugimoto, courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco
In making his Seascape series, Sugimoto pondered, “What would be the most unchanged scene on the surface of the earth? Can someone today view a scene just as primitive man might have? Although the land is forever changing its form, the sea, I thought, is immutable. Thus began my travels back through time to the ancient seas of the world.” “My first view of the ocean came as an awakening…. I spied it from a Tokaido Line Train, the seascape passing from left to right…. The horizon line where the azure sea met the brilliant sky was razor sharp, like a samurai sword’s blade. Captivated by this startling yet oddly familiar scene, I felt I was gazing on a primordial landscape. The experience left an indelible mark on me…. Every time I view the sea, I feel a calming sense of security, as if visiting my ancestral home.”