“Stop and observe the dramatic light and shadow across these Indiana dunes. This photograph transforms a familiar landscape into a study of natural forms and textures, highlighting the quiet power of the environment.”
This stark photograph, "The Dunes, Indiana," captures a landscape both familiar and otherworldly. Made in 1963, it presents a dramatic vista of windswept sand, carved into undulating forms by unseen forces. The gelatin silver print’s monochromatic palette emphasizes the textures and contrasts, making the light and shadow play across the dunes a central subject. The composition draws the eye deep into the scene, suggesting a vast, untamed wilderness. This image invites contemplation on the raw power of nature and the subtle beauty found in seemingly barren environments.
- Artist
- Will Roberts
- Date
- 1963
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print
- Location
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Dimensions
- Image/paper: 19.2 × 24.3 cm (7 9/16 × 9 5/8 in.); Mount: 38 × 38.1 cm (15 × 15 in.)
What to Notice
Four details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

The sharp contrast between the sunlit ridges and the deep shadows in the valleys.
The subtle ripples and patterns etched into the sand by the wind.
The absence of any human figures or structures, emphasizing the natural state.
The way the distant horizon line blurs, suggesting infinite space.
Will Roberts
1907–2000 · United KingdomWill Roberts, a Welsh expressionist painter, captured the soul of industrial workers, farmers, and the dramatic Welsh landscape, earning recognition as one of Wales's modern masters.
Further Works by Roberts
More works to explore
Beyond Roberts: works from the same years.
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Greyed Rainbow
Jackson Pollock · 1953 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Sun Spot
Yayoi Kusama · 1953 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Four Mona Lisas
Andy Warhol · 1978 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Essai
Sam Francis · 1963 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
La grande bellezza
Pierre Alechinsky · 1965
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Impregnazione
Piero Manzoni · 1958
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Alka Seltzer
Roy Lichtenstein · 1966 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Captain Joseph Medill Patterson
Ivan Puni · 1962 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Woman at the Piano
Philip Evergood · 1955 · Smithsonian American Art Museum
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Nude under a Pine Tree
Pablo Picasso · 1959 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1940s–1970s
Flag
Jasper Johns · 1958
Same era · 1940s–1970s
The Banquet
René Magritte · 1958 · Art Institute of Chicago


