The Discovery of Form brings together two pivotal figures of art after 1945 whose practices
though distinct in medium and context are united by a shared commitment to form light and
clarity. This book explores the unexpected visual dialogue between Robert Adams' contemplative
black-and-white photographs of the American West and Josef Albers' vigorous color studies from
his "Homage to the Square" series. Adams is known for his subtle yet searing critique of urban
sprawl and environmental degradation in compositions serene yet static and often shaped by a
sense of alienation. In iconic series such as "The New West" and "Prairies " he turns to light
as both subject and symbol allowing it to transcend the ordinary and hint at more enduring
forms beneath the surface of American life. Albers in turn isolates color into meditative
geometries seeking a quiet equilibrium that Adams also evokes. Delicately interacting colors
transform the framework of several squares into a shimmering whole due less to individual hues
and more to the textural vibrations between them. Featuring 70 photographs by Adams and twelve
paintings by Albers The Discovery of Form offers new insight into how their different
approaches converge in a common search for pictorial order and meaning. Any sense of the artist
trying to assert himself disappears: form transcends thematic constraints and a lasting sense
of calm prevails. Co-published with Zander Galerie Cologne Sprachen: Englisch Deutsch
