Date: 1996-1998
Frame: 39.25 x 28.5 in

This exquisite photograph by John Schabel titled 'Laramie, Wyoming' captures an open, star speckled sky with a light approaching on the horizon. Creating a strong visual aesthetic with the light/dark contrasts, Schabel also suggests the sense of a fleeting moment, as the stars appear like streaking forms across the sky. Known for his captivating black and white images, this work beautifully characterizes the artist's unique style.

The work of contemporary photographer John Schabel (b. 1957) explores psychological tension through his imagery, which at once maintains a distance from his subjects while confronting the viewer with their immediacy. Schabel is known for his “Passenger” series, which candidly caught anonymous people who were waiting for their plane to take off. His grainy black and white images explored that moment when travelers are completely powerless to the whims of the airline, caught in a psychological limbo where their own control was completely forgone. In addition to being included in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection(New York, NY), Schabel has also exhibited at such venues as the North Carolina Museum of Art (Raleigh, NC), Institut de Cultura de Barcelona (Barcelona, SP), Contemporary Museum (Baltimore, MD), and Marc Selwyn Fine Art (Los Angeles, CA), among others.