That Day: Laura Wilson – Pictures in the American West, Phillips Auction New York. These breathtaking photographs highlighting the American West is a traveling exhibition that chronicles the three-decades-long work of extraordinary artist Laura Wilson. This exploration of the United States shows Wilson’s masterful view of the Great Plains and the Western landscape. The images were taken on assignment from magazines, newspapers and some on her own, all show her respect for the subjects. Wilson said “I photographed what interested me and I was drawn to people who live in an enclosed world – those people who live in isolated communities, whether by circumstance or accomplishment”.
Featured image: Hand and Spur Y-6 Ranch Valentine, Texas, June 3, 1992.
Many images in the exhibition show the Hutterites, a group of people who live largely in the Great Plains of the US and in Western Canada since the 1870s. They have managed to preserve their way of life by strictly adhering to their beliefs and traditions. It took many visits for Wilson to gain their trust and be given permission to take their pictures which is normally forbidden. She was only able to do so in black and white which seem to capture more intensely their spirit as you’re not distracted by color and forced to more carefully view the work.
