Gary Saretzky Photo Books
Fiore, Clem. The Vanishing New Jersey Landscape by Clem Fiori.
Fiore, Clem. The Vanishing New Jersey Landscape by Clem Fiori.
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Rutgers University Press, 1994. 2nd printing, 1995. [Fiore, based in Lambertville, New Jersey, became regionally renowned for his superb landscape photographs, particularly of Montgomery Township in this book.] Fine, 2nd printing, black cloth binding, with near fine dust jacket. Summary:
The Vanishing New Jersey Landscape (1994), published by Rutgers University Press, is a monograph by New Jersey photographer, sculptor, and conservationist Clem Fiori.
Key Details & Summary
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Scope & Concept: Created by a lifelong state resident and environmental activist, the volume documents the rural character of New Jersey that earned it the nickname "The Garden State," focusing on areas increasingly threatened by suburban sprawl and commercial development.
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Imagery & Aesthetic: Features black-and-white duotone photographs depicting rolling fields, quiet woodlands, tumbling streams, historic farmscapes, and natural landmarks across central New Jersey and the Sourland Mountain region.
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Themes & Conservation Plea: Serves as both an artistic document and a visual plea for land preservation, capturing remaining open spaces—such as Rock Brook Creek and regional grist mills—to remind readers of the fragile natural heritage requiring protection.
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Structure & Text: Combines duotone visual plates with brief, evocative reflective texts by Fiori that weave personal memory with an understated argument for environmental stewardship.
- Clem Fiori is an American fine-art photographer, sculptor, writer, and environmentalist known for documenting the rural terrain and natural beauty of New Jersey's Piedmont region. After earning a degree in English Literature from Rutgers University in 1965, Fiori served for many years as the principal photographer for the Princeton University Art Museum and other university departments. His artistic practice—spanning traditional large-format silver gelatin prints, macro abstract studies of ice and wood grain, and digital imagery—is deeply intertwined with his environmental activism. Beyond publishing his landmark monograph The Vanishing New Jersey Landscape (1994), Fiori has been a key force in regional land preservation, chairing the Montgomery Township Open Space Committee since 1989 and serving as a trustee for the New Jersey Conservation Foundation to protect threatened natural open spaces.
