Richard Stefani (1933–2022)
From Before the Water Rose: Celilo Falls, 1956
The first thing we notice may be the water.
Then we notice how close everyone is to it.
Two men occupy a wooden platform at the left of Richard Stefani's photograph. One reclines near its edge. The other sits above him beside a long pole extending diagonally toward the river. Behind them, additional figures stand on wooden structures built directly into the rocky landscape.
At the right, the falls descend in a wall of white water.
Richard does not need to exaggerate the physical setting. Its extraordinary nature is already visible.
What makes the photograph compelling is the apparent ordinariness with which the people within it inhabit that setting. The river may command our attention, but it does not appear to command theirs in the same way. They occupy the platforms as working spaces.
This distinction recurs throughout Richard's Celilo photographs.
To an outsider, the falls can appear overwhelming. To the people Richard photographed, the river was also a place understood through experience, work, and accumulated knowledge.
The photograph therefore asks us to see two things simultaneously: the extraordinary power of the Columbia and the human familiarity that existed beside it.
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
The first thing we notice may be the water.
Then we notice how close everyone is to it.
Two men occupy a wooden platform at the left of Richard Stefani's photograph. One reclines near its edge. The other sits above him beside a long pole extending diagonally toward the river. Behind them, additional figures stand on wooden structures built directly into the rocky landscape.
At the right, the falls descend in a wall of white water.
Richard does not need to exaggerate the physical setting. Its extraordinary nature is already visible.
What makes the photograph compelling is the apparent ordinariness with which the people within it inhabit that setting. The river may command our attention, but it does not appear to command theirs in the same way. They occupy the platforms as working spaces.
This distinction recurs throughout Richard's Celilo photographs.
To an outsider, the falls can appear overwhelming. To the people Richard photographed, the river was also a place understood through experience, work, and accumulated knowledge.
The photograph therefore asks us to see two things simultaneously: the extraordinary power of the Columbia and the human familiarity that existed beside it.
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.
