The Phenomenal World

With these monumental landscape photographs, David Parker is making a clear statement about what the art of photography still might achieve. His imagery is an intriguing blend of the objective and the subjective, the formal and the allegorical. It is complex, rich in illusion, yet it remains photography. First and foremost, it is the sheer visual elan, the sublime beauty with which he has transcribed these mysterious views of rock, canyon and mountain that draws us into contemplation of their more subtle virtues. This is landscape photography that enchants; its space is deep space, surrounding and thrilling us. It is a delight to see, in David Parker's large but not daunting images, photographs that wear their size easily. They were conceived on a large scale, and the size to which they have been enlarged is correct conceptually, technically and aesthetically. These are theatrical photographs in the best sense: they are literate, thoughtful and imaginative, and truly a joy to explore.