Edward Burtynsky: OIL |

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Edward Burtynsky: OIL

October 18, 2010 by Lainya Magana

Edward Burtynsky is, in my opinion, one of the most important photographers of our generation. Stark, beautiful, and poignant, Burtynsky’s images capture man’s impact on his environment. Unaltered, Burtynsky’s photographs do not reply on tricks of the eye and digital enhancements to make some overt commentary. Instead, Burtynsky captures beauty in the difficult subject matter he documents, subtly probing the viewer to engage in an ethical deliberation over the implications of what they are seeing.

Now, there is a new Steidl book release and touring exhibition organized by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC. that surveys a decade of Burtynsky’s photographic work exploring the subject of oil. Edward Burtynsky has traveled internationally to chronicle the production, distribution, and use of the most critical fuel of our time.

In addition to revealing the rarely-seen mechanics of its manufacture, Burtynsky captures the effects of oil on our lives, depicting landscapes altered by its extraction from the earth, and by the cities and suburban sprawl generated around its use. He also addresses the coming “end of oil,” as we confront its rising cost and dwindling availability.

“Edward Burtynsky: Oil is the definitive photographic documentation of this hotly debated subject.”
– Paul Roth, Senior Curator of Photography, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC.

View the whole exhibition here.