Moonrise Hernandez

[Alan Klein]

Can someone explain to me why Moonrise Hernandez is a good photograph, as I don’t get it.

I was at the AIPAD Photo show last year in NYC. They have about 75 renowned photo dealers from around the country and world. Each had a booth selling their photos of all kinds. A few had Adams as he is so popular.

So I see one of these "Moonrise" prints that's going for US$60,000. Interesting photo I thought though it was quite above my price range. So I'm walking around to the other side of the show and sure enough, there's another "Moonrise" at another dealer. It was going for about $150,000. I have to admit, I couldn't see why it was worth more then the first one I saw. But then again I didn't look that close.

Just then, some rich middle age guy comes along with this beautiful girl about half his age. "Well," he impresses her with contempt in his tone for what he's looking at. "My "Moonrise" was around $200,000 and it is much, much better than that one."

I listened silently. I suppose he was right. After all, he had the hot chick.

[semi-ambivalent]

I listened silently. I suppose he was right. After all, he had the hot chick.

Perhaps I should re-evaluate my Capitalist metric...

s-brunettes-are-the-new-blondes-a

[Dali]

Just then, some rich middle age guy comes along with this beautiful girl about half his age. "Well," he impresses her with contempt in his tone for what he's looking at. "My "Moonrise" was around $200,000 and it is much, much better than that one."

Typically the kind of vulgar behavior we can expect from this kind of guy... I hope he left the price tag on the print to show his "friends" how much he loves art... You did the right thing by ignoring such moron.

[TheFlyingCamera]

Not a defense of either the jackass or the pricing, but a possible explanation for the difference (a distinction that would have been utterly lost on the jackass) - the $60K copy could have been a very late production copy, and the $150K one an early vintage print. I suspect the dealer who sold the $200K print to the jackass knew he was a jackass and raised the price accordingly.

[Jeff Kubach]

I like it and to me that is all it matters.

Jeff

[DREW WILEY]

Don't judge the artistic merits of a print by what it sells for in some hyped-up auction or show market. The two things aren't directly related. Asking prince is 1)related to what they think they will
get away with; 2)related to supply and demand; 3)more about the autograph on the image and its
collectibility than often the image itself. Just look at the prices demanded for kindergarten-techniqe and archivally worthless Cindy Sherman prints. When Ansel died, a Moonrise print went at aution for
40K, another for 60K, then one well over 100K. But he printed something like 350 of them! Not exactly rare. So all of a sudden the market was flooded and the prices were back down to around
15K, right at the price where you could have walked right into a dealer and bought one all along,
or even for less, when he was still alive! Never underestimate the appeal of conspicuous consumption
when it comes to what people will pay for art.

[c6h6o3]

I've been to many AIPAD shows and have seen at least a dozen Moonrises printed by Adams. Not one of them was identical to any of the others. Size, contrast, tonality of the sky (the gamut from light grey to pitch black). There was something different about each one. He certainly interpreted it many different ways over the years. With that many different Moonrises, the great disparity in price doesn't surprise me in the least.

It never ceases to amaze me how a photograph like that one can command 100s of K$ while truly breathtaking work by the likes of Frederick Sommer or Aaron Siskind goes a beggin'. Although, at this year's AIPAD show the prices on Sommer's work were quite elevated over years past. $30-$50K. However, none of them was tagged as having been sold.

[semi-ambivalent]

Aaron Siskind goes a beggin'.

I haven't been on APUG very long but that might be the first time I've seen him mentioned. His images of things ground into (NY?) asphalt streets are amazing. I wish I could afford him.

s-a

[jimgalli]

The vote is in and closed on Moonrise. You don't get a vote. Sorry. It really doesn't matter what you think.

[Prof_Pixel]

Moonrise Hernandez is a VERY heavily manipulated print with extensive dodging and burning. In truth, it was made in the darkroom. See SEXTON, JOHN. MOONRISE, HERNANDEZ. ANSEL ADAMS PRINTING NOTES —“TRANSLATION” at http://notesonphotographs.org/index....ation%E2%80%9D