Shimogo Town, Fukushima Prefecture

In this photograph Toshio Shibata captures a landscape that is at once natural and man-made. He holds the two aspects together in a delicate tension by leaving both scale and setting unclear. Erosion control blocks in a water causeway appear to be pieces of stone broken off from the disintegrating boulders that edge the image. These concrete forms protrude from and recede below the broad inky surface of the water, creating a semi-abstract composition. This photograph was made at a time when Shibata was beginning to turn away from objective representations of the landscape in favor of more emotionally expressive themes. The ambiguous nature of the work and the moody quality of light are meant to provide subjects for contemplation.