Structured Visions: The Photographs of Ralston Crawford

Fascinated by the purified geometry of man-made things, Ralston Crawford (1906–1978) worked in a consistently formal, or abstract, manner across a variety of mediums. His photographs provide an essential look at a vital era of abstraction in American art, and at the cultural scenes and subjects from which that creative sensibility arose.

Crawford used the camera as a tool of both documentary and artistic expression. Some photographs served as studies for later paintings or prints. Most, however, were created and appreciated purely as photographs. His subjects ranged from urban and industrial themes to ships and sailing, jazz, the people and culture of New Orleans, bullfighting and religious processions in Spain, and the destructive power of the atomic bomb.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website 

Crawford, American (1906–1978). New Orleans Brass Band, 1958. Gelatin silver print, 6 3/8 × 9 1/2 inches. Gift of Neelon Crawford, 2015.49.68.

Ralston Crawford, American (1906–1978). Grain Elevators, Buffalo, 1942. Gelatin silver print, 9 x 13 3/8 inches. Gift of Hallmark Cards, Inc., 2005.27.2602.