Object number1988.3.3

Iris, Georgetown, Maine

Portfolio/Seriesfrom Paul Strand: Portfolio Three

Date1928

Artist Paul Strand (American, 1890-1976)

Publisher Paul Strand Foundation (American)

Publisher Michael Hoffman (American, 1942 - 2001)

CultureAmerican

MediumGelatin silver print, printed 1976-1977

EditionEdition 55 of 100, plus 10 artist's proofs

DimensionsImage: 9 1/2 x 7 3/4 in. (24.1 x 19.7 cm)
Sheet: 9 7/8 x 8 in. (25.1 x 20.3 cm)

Credit LineGift of Michael E. Hoffman

On View

Not on view

Period20th c

Classification(s)

Photograph

Label TextPaul Strand used photography in a variety of ways, working at times as a social documentarian, and at others as a keen observer of forms in nature. In this sharply focused, close-up view of an iris, Strand unexpectedly emphasizes the rhythm of lines and supple textures of the plant's leaves rather than its flower. He borrows the visual language of cubism to suggest that we are seeing multiple points of view in a single image. Light and shadow do not simply illuminate or obscure Strand's subject; rather, they are material elements that constitute nature within the frame of the photograph. As in many of his semi-abstract studies of form in photography, Strand uplifted an everyday observation as a profound but quiet revelation, using the camera to expand human vision. Jessica D. Brier Curator of Photography

DescriptionBlack and white image of the bent leaves of an iris plant up close.

Terms

Georgetown

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