Artwork copyright Robert Haft. Photo courtesy of the artist.

The Lightness of Being, 1986

Robert Haft
(American, born 1949)

Location: Washington Elementary School, Vancouver

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

The Lightness of Being is a photograph taken by artist Robert Haft and captures the artist's young son mid-leap next to the shoreline in Cannon Beach, Oregon. This piece is part of the artist's series "The Terrors and Joys of Childhood." Haft describes the moment he took the photograph, noting "I like the way he looked, so small against the immensity of his surroundings. I snapped the shutter just as I saw him give a little leap of joy...It looked as if he has suddenly 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' and was hovering in mid-air."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Vancouver School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Northwest photographer Bob Haft creates documentary images that explore the limitations and possibilities of visual and verbal language. Much of his work focuses on the honest depiction of the inner lives and experiences of children.

Haft received a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and a Master of Fine Arts degree in photography from Washington State University in Pullman, Eastern Washington. Based in Olympia, Washington, Haft teaches in the Art Department at The Evergreen State College.