Caprice II, 2006

In investigating the uncanny qualities of nature, John Opera has a unique ability to combine modernist photography with historical notions of the sublime in landscapes. His images are all taken in western New York—places he frequented as a child with his father, a retired geologist. They are fastidiously composed, eerie, beautiful, and undoubtedly contemporary.

Opera makes pictures in the spirit of transcendentalism. He does not intend to communicate the grandeur of nature, but to expose the subjectivity of experience and the ability of the banal to inspire feelings of interiority. Using a large format camera, his process centers on slowing down.

Opera is featured in Aperture's second installment of the Midwest Photographers Publication Project (MP3). Caprice II is a gorgeous and mysterious print that embodies the core dilemmas at play in Opera's work. This is a perfect opportunity to add the work of a promising, emerging photographer to your collection.

Archival Pigment Print
Paper Size: 11 x 14 inches
Image Size: 11 1/2 x 9 1/4 inches
Edition of 25 and 5 Artist’s Proofs
Signed and numbered by the artist

John Opera (American) is a photographer and teacher. He received a BA from SUNY New Paltz in 1998 and an MFA from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 2005. Opera has exhibited his work regionally and nationally and is included in various collections.