Edward Burtynsky

Edward Burtynsky is a highly respected photography who has had exhibits in over 50 museums.  His work focuses on large format industrial landscape photographs.  His early image of industry came from the General Motors Plant where his father worked in his hometown of Ontario, Canada.  His images depict the relationship between industry and nature.  He uses elements of mining, quarrying, manufacturing, shipping, oil production, demolition and recycling in his art.  His photos are extremely detailed and are a cross between fine art and commercial photography. 

The subjects of his photo are very unusual.  He takes objects or sites that are not considered normally beautiful and makes them into extraordinary art.  The sites are common objects that contribute to our daily lives but things we would rather hide away for plain view such as a quarrying, refineries and recycling yards.  He gives these objects new meaning by turning them from unpleasant to stunning images. 

His photographs show the dependence on humans in their quest for a good life on nature.  However through the photos we can see how we are destroying the one thing we are most dependent on.  His works include portfolios on mines, quarries, ship, oil, China, Australia and water.  My favorite of these is Mine and Water.  The water portfolio has a sub-section on the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. 

In 2006, a documentary film, Manufactured Landscapes, was made about Edward Burtynsky.  It featured his photographs of landscapes that were affected by human intervention. 

Oil Spill #13,
Mississippi Delta, Gulf of Mexico, June 24, 2010

Oil Spill #2,
Discoverer Enterprise, Gulf of Mexico, May 11, 2010

Mines #15
Inco Tailings Pond, Sudbury, Ontario 1985

Mines #17
Lornex Open Pit Copper Mine. Highland Valley, British Columbia 1985

“Burtynsky calls his images ‘a second look at the scale of what we call progress,’ and hopes that [they] acquaint viewers with the ramifications of our lifestyle.” -Washington Post

http://www.edwardburtynsky.com