BARBERA BOSWORTH: SUN LIGHT MOON SHADOW
CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART

Sunday, February 25–Sunday, June 30, 2024
Location: 230 Photography
Mark Schwartz and Bettina Katz Photography Galleries

In the lucky, often fleeting moments in life where we gaze up and absorb the celestial universe, the light, darkness, and amorphous colors remind us that we are a part of something vast and eternal. It is a necessary experience of human life, and something so special that throughout human history it has been an emotional source of inspiration. These experiences have the ability to stir the depths of our imagination and fuel a quest for understanding— often manifesting in various interpretations and attributions to higher powers.

Photographer Barbara Bosworth set out to capture the sky at its most intriguing and explore this emotional attachment that humans attribute to it. Her whole life, Bosworth has been intentional about pausing to look up at the sky, a practice instilled in her by her father during her childhood in northwestern Ohio. The practice has led to a mesmerizing exploration of the sky and our relationship to it as earthly beings, documented through photography. In her series “Sun Light Moon Shadow,” on display at The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bosworth displays nine color images of outer space and its celestial bodies as well as six black and white images of the earthly beings and the greater human connection to the sky. In its entirety, the large-scale images are a powerful reflection on our understanding of the universe, expressing a profound appreciation for the magnificence of the sky and outer space.

The Crescent Moon, 3 Days off New, June 15, 2010, 2010,printed 2023. Barbara Bosworth (American, b. 1953). Inkjet print; sheet: 177.8 x 142.2 cm (70 x 56 in.); frame: 188 x152.4 cm (74 x 60 in.). Courtesy of the Artist © Barbara Bosworth

Her images offer a strikingly peaceful intimacy, particularly those that feature earthly subjects. Images including “Christmas Solar Eclipse in My Father’s Hands” and “Amy With Bubble” impart Bosworth's talent in capturing intimate moments shared among humans, light, and the natural world. These images exhibit a profound tranquility, encapsulating the same emotional resonance attributed to the light reflected from celestial bodies. No better is this attribution of the emotion stronger than in her image titled “My Father’s Last Sunset.” Transforming the ephemeral sunset into a poignant image, she immortalizes a fleeting moment that was deeply meaningful. In doing so, it forever carries the weight of emotional resonance like a cherished keepsake.

In her images above the earth, streaks of light and the shape of the moon radiate in the sky like stencils of light on a deep, dark universe. The soft blue glow of the Milky Way or the orange of a lunar eclipse reveal the magnificent colors of the cosmos.

Standing on a Hill, 1999, printed 2023. Barbara Bosworth(American, b. 1953). Gelatin silver print; sheet: 40.6 x 50.8cm (16 x 20 in.); frame: 50.8 x 61 cm (20 x 24 in.). Courtesyof the Artist © Barbara Bosworth

Perhaps the most poignant photo in the whole series is “Standing on a Hill,” which features someone taking in the sky from atop a hill. The image, skillfully captured from a lower perspective, strikingly conveys the sensation of realizing one's insignificance within the vastness of the universe. Only Bosworth’s creative eye could articulate the sentiment so perfectly.