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Catalog Data

Artist:
Minor White, born Minneapolis, MN 1908-died Boston, MA 1976  Search this
Medium:
gelatin silver print
Dimensions:
sheet and image: 3 3/4 x 6 3/8 in. (9.5 x 16.1 cm)
Type:
Photography-Photoprint
Date:
1957
Exhibition Label:
“Surfaces reveal inner states – cameras record surfaces. Confronted with the world of surfaces in nature, man, and photographs, I must somehow be a kind of microscope by which the underlying forces of spirit are observed and extended to others.” – Minor White, 1969
Minor White continued Alfred Stieglitz’s tradition of treating photographs as “equivalents,” visual metaphors for feelings or psychological states. His lyrical studies of natural forms encourage the viewer to look beyond the physical appearance of objects and seek a spiritual meaning in the image. In this way, viewers use the photograph as a mirror to gain insight into their own psychologies.
This unusually small untitled print invites intimate inspection. With its ambiguous content and self-contained composition, the photograph borders on complete abstraction. The illusion of movement is created through the dynamic arrangement of varied circular shapes, which are most likely air bubbles trapped in frozen water.
A Democracy of Images: Photographs from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2013
Topic:
Waterscape  Search this
Landscape\New York\Attica  Search this
Credit Line:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Bernie Stadiem
Object number:
2003.35
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department:
Graphic Arts
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk78fcdb5a7-8243-497a-91ff-6f334f7b156c
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:saam_2003.35