The Three Great Rivers

2006

Thomas Joshua Cooper

Associated Names
Thomas Joshua Cooper

Artist, American, born 1945

The image is a triptych of three black and white photographs depicting different seascapes. The first photograph on the left shows a vast expanse of overcast sky with thick, billowing clouds. The horizon is placed roughly a third from the top, where the land or distant water meets the sky. Close to us, shallow water reflects the muted light, leading our view toward the horizon. The middle photograph captures the churning ocean water, with waves swirling into frothy patterns. The horizon is not visible. On the right, the photograph captures a calm view of the sea with a faint horizon appearing near the center. The sky above is misty and almost blends into the water below. The color palette consists of various tones of grey.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    3 gelatin silver prints

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Lannan Foundation

  • Dimensions

    image (each): 40.64 × 57.15 cm (16 × 22 1/2 in.)
    mount (each): 71.12 × 91.44 cm (28 × 36 in.)
    overall: 71.12 × 274.32 cm (28 × 108 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2024.94.10

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Thomas Joshua Cooper; Lannan Foundation, Santa Fe, NM, 30 March 2007; gift to NGA, 2024.

Associated Names

Inscriptions

Left Panel: signed by artist, lower right below image, in pencil: Thomas Joshua Cooper; on verso of mount, signed by artist, center, in black ink: The Three Great Rivers / Sunrise on the Equator – Zero° Latitude -“The River Sea” / at the Mouth of El Rio Amazones – The Amazon River, / the mouth of an unnamed stream and The South Atlantic / Ocean; Vulture Beach, Ilha Mexicana / Pare, Brazil, 2006; Oceanic ebbtide of the World’s greatest river / © Thomas Joshua Cooper A/P 1/3 / (Part 1, The left-hand part, of 3 part work)
Center Panel: signed by artist, lower right below image, in pencil: Thomas Joshua Cooper; on verso of mount, signed by artist, center, in black ink: The Three Great Rivers / Wind whipped / Looking towards Delta Amacuro – The Orinoco Delta / Golfo de Paria—The Gulf of Paria, Boca Grande / and Boca del Dragon –The Dragons’ Mouths; Punta Piedras, Promontorio de Paria / Peninsula de Paria, Sucre, Venezuela, 2005/2006; During the time of Hurricane Rita at one of / the World’s most immense river basins / © Thomas Joshua Cooper A/P 1/3 / (Part 2, The middle part, of a 3 part work)
Right Panel: signed by artist, lower right below image, in pencil: Thomas Joshua Cooper; on verso of mount, signed by artist, center, in black ink: The Three Great Rivers / Thick early Morning River Mist / The Confluence of the Rio de la Plata; Isla Martin Garcia / Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2006; At the rising of the World’s widest river / © Thomas Joshua Cooper A/P 1/3 / (Part 3, The right-hand part, of a 3 part work)

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