Thaddeus Holownia: Walden Revisited

Thaddeus Holownia’s Walden Revisited pays homage to the 19th century American writer Henry David Thoreau, whose experiment in simple living unfolded over two years at Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts beginning in 1845.  Inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson, who believed that individuals should seek a spiritually fulfilling relationship with the natural world, Thoreau’s communion with nature comprised a close observation of the environment that is manifest in Holownia’s monumental photographs conceived as 24 Tree Studies for Henry David Thoreau.  Presented as a full-gallery installation that approximates Thoreau’s and Holownia’s experience of Walden Woods, the images focus closely on individual trees, creating a portrait of the site and encouraging quiet contemplation of nature’s grandeur.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.