The New Topographics

New topographics was a term coined by William Jenkins in 1975 to describe a group of American photographers (such as Robert Adams and Lewis Baltz) whose pictures had a similar banal aesthetic, in that they were formal, mostly black and white prints of the urban landscape.

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/n/new-topographics

New Topographics is a style of photography that emerged in the 1970s, characterized by a detached, documentary approach to landscapes, often focusing on human-altered environments.

Key Features:

  • Neutral, Deadpan Aesthetic – Avoids romantic or dramatic portrayals of landscapes.
  • Human Impact on the Environment – Captures industrial sites, suburban developments, parking lots, highways, and other man-made structures.
  • Black and White or Muted Colours – Many images are in black and white, emphasizing form and composition.
  • Inspired by Documentary Photography – Influenced by early 20th-century photographers like Walker Evans but with a more detached, objective approach.

Notable Photographers:

  • Robert Adams – Captured suburban sprawl in the American West.
  • Lewis Baltz – Focused on industrial parks and urban developments.
  • Stephen Shore – Used colour photography to document everyday American scenes.
  • Bernd and Hilla Becher – German photographers known for typological studies of industrial structures.

The movement was a reaction against traditional landscape photography, which often glorified untouched nature (e.g., Ansel Adams). Instead, New Topographics photographers emphasized how humans shape the land, influencing later movements in contemporary landscape and documentary photography.

What was the New Topographics a reaction to?

The New Topographics movement emerged as a response to major changes in post-war America, especially in how the landscape was being reshaped by urban growth and industrialization.

Post-War Expansion and Changing Landscapes

After World War II, the U.S. went through a period of rapid economic growth, leading to suburban expansion, new highways, and industrial parks. Cities spread outward, replacing open landscapes with shopping centers and residential developments.

Photographers in the New Topographics movement responded by capturing these transformed spaces, showing how human activity was altering the land in a way that was often overlooked.

Environmental Awareness

During the 1960s and 1970s, concerns about pollution, deforestation, and urban sprawl were growing. Books like Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962) and events like the first Earth Day in 1970 brought more attention to environmental issues. This shift influenced photographers to take a closer, more critical look at human-altered landscapes.

A New Take on Landscape Photography

Traditional landscape photography, led by figures like Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, focused on the beauty of untouched nature. In contrast, New Topographics photographers rejected this romanticized view. Instead of grand, dramatic scenery, they captured everyday places shaped by human presence e.g parking lots, trailer parks, motels, and industrial sites, presenting them in a neutral, almost detached way.

Artistic and Cultural Shifts

  • Redefining Beauty – The movement challenged the idea that landscapes had to be visually stunning to be worth photographing. By focusing on ordinary or even unattractive scenes, they expanded the definition of what was considered artistically valuable.
  • Minimalism and Conceptual Art Influence – The straightforward, objective style of New Topographics was influenced by Minimalism and Conceptual Art, particularly the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher, who systematically documented industrial buildings. Their influence helped shape the movement’s structured, documentary approach.

The Bigger Picture

At its core, New Topographics reflected a shift in how people viewed the landscape-not as something untouched and pure, but as something constantly shaped by human activity. This perspective continues to influence contemporary photography today.

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