The White Church, Hornitos, California
| Artist | Ansel Adams (American, 1902–1984) |
|---|---|
| Title | The White Church, Hornitos, California |
| Plate Number | Plate 7 |
| Series | Portfolio One: Twelve Photographic Prints |
| Date | 1946, published 1948 |
| Medium | Gelatin silver print |
| Dimensions | Image: 9 5/16 × 7 5/16 in. (23.7 × 18.6 cm) Sheet: 9 5/16 × 7 5/16 in. (23.7 × 18.6 cm) Mount: 18 × 14 in. (45.7 × 35.6 cm) |
| Credit Line | Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 81.48.1G |
| This artwork is currently off display. You may be able to see this artwork by filling out an art viewing room request. | |
A wooden fence stretches diagonally from upper left to bottom right of the image. A small white church is visible in background.
One of the founding members of the California-based Group f/64, Ansel Adams rejected his pictorial style of the 1920s in favor of a "straight" approach. This image reflects the group's preference for formal patterns, such as the foreground fence, and a belief in the transcendental power of the object. The church sits high on the horizon, however, its power comes not from its ecclesiastical mission (indeed, it is difficult to even determine its religious nature), but from its simplicity, quietude, and harmony with its rustic surroundings. Surprisingly, this nondescript church in Hornitos, a small rural community about 140 miles due east of San Francisco, inspired numerous modernist photographers in search of meaningful imagery. Edward Weston took the earliest known version in 1940, while conducting a photography class with Ansel Adams near Lake Tenaya. His close-up of the church's weathered door (of which the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art has numerous examples, Eskenazi Museum of Art 64.53.85-.86, 68.117.8 and 300.X.53.8) may have inspired Adams to revisit the subject. Minor White also took a rear view of the same structure for "Three Canons" (1948).
| Plate Number | Plate 7 |
|---|---|
| Series Title | Portfolio One: Twelve Photographic Prints |
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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"The White Church, Hornitos, California | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=81.48.1G