Black Maps: American Landscape and the Apocalyptic Sublime

Placeholder author icon
By David Maisel ’84

Published Jan. 21, 2016

(Steidle) The culmination of 30 years of work, Black Maps features over 100 photographs focusing on the human impact on the environment. From mining sites to the Los Angeles skyline, Maisel’s aerial photographs rely on abstraction to create a jarring narrative of environmental destruction. Maisel is a San-Francisco-based photographer whose work is in the permanent collections of major art museums around the globe.

Paw in print

Image
PAW’s December 2025 cover, with a photo of Michael Park ’98.
The Latest Issue

December 2025

Judge Michael Park ’98; shifts in DEI initiatives; a night at the new art museum.