Artwork
El Abañil, Mexico
Artist
Manuel Carrillo
(Mexican, 1906 - 1989)
DepartmentLatin American Art
Date1960s-1970s
MediumGelatin silver print
Dimensions12 x 9 in. (30.5 x 22.9 cm)
Credit LinePurchased with the Mary Kathryn Lynch Kurtz Fund for the acquisition of Modern Latin American Art
Object number2009.9.2
Copyright© Estate of Manuel Carrillo
DescriptionBlack-and-white photograph of a man ascending a staircase holding a large sack on his upper back. The image features dramatic diagonal angles and tonal contrasts including a bright white half cirle in the upper left corner.Label Text“I think the hardest thing in photography is the eye—to see the photograph at the right moment . . . the composition, I think it the most personal thing an artist has.”
—Manuel Carrillo
The construction worker here is framed perfectly within the triangle of the foreground. This is no accident. Manuel Carrillo intentionally composed the image to highlight the geometry and strong diagonals. The stairs, up which the man lugs a bag of concrete mix, and the floor above him are juxtaposed against the finished walls and the bright light shining through what appears to be an oculus in the ceiling.
(Erin Murphy, 2017)InscriptionsSigned recto.
Numbered and stamped on print verso:Not on view
Collections
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
