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Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts

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Spencer Finch

48 Views of Loch Ness

1997

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Working in a variety of mediums, Spencer Finch employs atmospheric effects and ephemeral notions, such as time and movement, to examine the complexity with which we perceive the outside world. In this series of photographs, taken over the course of three days at Loch Ness in Scotland, Finch draws on the myth of the Loch Ness monster to invert the status of photography as a medium that conveys empirical truths. In the photographs, the topographical variations of the landscape take on the shape of the monster, often depicted as a series of humps partially submerged in the water, but close examination turns up only variations of the play of light and color on the water and the surrounding landscape. Finch’s images are ambiguous as they provide no resolution to the legend; rather, they seem to comment on the ever-present human need to romanticize and believe in a creature whose existence can neither be affirmed nor refuted through modern technology. [Permanent collection label, 2014]

  • Artist Spencer Finch (American, b. 1962)
  • Title 48 Views of Loch Ness
  • Date 1997
  • Medium 48 color photographs
  • Dimensions framed | 4 x 6 x 2 in. (each)
    image | 33 x 48 in. (overall)
  • Credit line University purchase, Bixby Fund, 2004
  • Object number WU 2004.0004

Moving Parts: Time and Motion in Contemporary Art
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, 05/09/2014 - 08/31/2014

Focus on Photography: Recent Acquisitions 2010

Until March 31, 2004
[Postmasters (1984–), New York]

March 31, 2004–
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, purchase from the above, Bixby Fund [1]

Notes:

[1]

WU 2004.0004 object file, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis.

This artwork record may be incomplete or need refinement. Our staff actively researches the collection and revises records when new information is available. If you have questions or comments about this record, please contact us.

Related Content

go to Moving Parts: Time and Motion in Contemporary Art page
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Exhibitions

Moving Parts: Time and Motion in Contemporary Art

May 09, 2014–August 31, 2014

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