The desert

The desert is a place of silence, mystery, and solitude, a setting and vehicle for dreams and myths, and the ultimate site of illusion and mirage. Europe discovered the desert in the nineteenth century via archaeological and geographical explorations. In that period too, photography was invented, and it went hand in hand with the discovery of the desert. Solitary travelers or members of scientific expeditions, artists, and photographers embarked upon the representation of the desert as a territory to explor and as landscape. Organized around a series of historical and contemporary works, this book examines the ways photography and the movies have represented the desert. Among the artists included are Michael Ashkin, Lee Friedlander, Edward Weston, Wilfred Thesiger, Bill Viola, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and Herge (of Tintin fame).