Richard Stefani (1933–2022)
From Before the Water Rose: Celilo Falls, 1956
Here, Richard Stefani brings us close.
Two fishermen stand on a wooden platform above Celilo Falls. Between them is an enormous dip net, its circular frame nearly as tall as the men themselves.
And at the bottom of the net, clearly visible, is a salmon.
Suddenly an activity that appears small in Richard's sweeping landscapes becomes physical and immediate.
The scale matters.
So does the water behind them.
Richard composed the photograph so that the fishermen and net are set against the pale, rushing Columbia. There is little visual distraction. The platform beneath their feet appears narrow. A wooden box sits between them. A rope encircles one man's waist. Beyond them, the falls fill almost the entire background.
The photograph allows us to appreciate something a distant view cannot convey: the physical reality of working this close to the river.
Yet Richard does not dramatize it.
The men are occupied with the task before them. Their attention is on the net, the fish, and one another.
That restraint is characteristic of this body of work. Richard does not turn fishing at Celilo into spectacle. He watches carefully enough for the work itself to reveal its significance.
Nearly seventy years later, the photograph allows us to do the same.
Estate Edition
Printed from Richard Stefani's original 1956 color negative.
Chromogenic photographic print on Fuji Crystal Archive DP II paper, produced in Germany and mounted under matte, reflection-reducing acrylic glass with aluminum Dibond backing. Presented in a handcrafted Basel black oak floater frame. Ready to hang.
Each work is accompanied by Richard Stefani Estate documentation recording the photograph, edition number, edition size, production specifications, and provenance.
8 × 12 in.
Edition of 25
$1,500
16 × 24 in.
Edition of 15
$3,200
20 × 30 in.
Edition of 10
$6,500
Edition sizes are fixed and will not be increased.
Richard Stefani (1933–2022)
From Before the Water Rose: Celilo Falls, 1956
Here, Richard Stefani brings us close.
Two fishermen stand on a wooden platform above Celilo Falls. Between them is an enormous dip net, its circular frame nearly as tall as the men themselves.
And at the bottom of the net, clearly visible, is a salmon.
Suddenly an activity that appears small in Richard's sweeping landscapes becomes physical and immediate.
The scale matters.
So does the water behind them.
Richard composed the photograph so that the fishermen and net are set against the pale, rushing Columbia. There is little visual distraction. The platform beneath their feet appears narrow. A wooden box sits between them. A rope encircles one man's waist. Beyond them, the falls fill almost the entire background.
The photograph allows us to appreciate something a distant view cannot convey: the physical reality of working this close to the river.
Yet Richard does not dramatize it.
The men are occupied with the task before them. Their attention is on the net, the fish, and one another.
That restraint is characteristic of this body of work. Richard does not turn fishing at Celilo into spectacle. He watches carefully enough for the work itself to reveal its significance.
Nearly seventy years later, the photograph allows us to do the same.
Estate Edition
Printed from Richard Stefani's original 1956 color negative.
Chromogenic photographic print on Fuji Crystal Archive DP II paper, produced in Germany and mounted under matte, reflection-reducing acrylic glass with aluminum Dibond backing. Presented in a handcrafted Basel black oak floater frame. Ready to hang.
Each work is accompanied by Richard Stefani Estate documentation recording the photograph, edition number, edition size, production specifications, and provenance.
8 × 12 in.
Edition of 25
$1,500
16 × 24 in.
Edition of 15
$3,200
20 × 30 in.
Edition of 10
$6,500
Edition sizes are fixed and will not be increased.
