Carved Pine Chair, Paracho, Michoacán
Artist:
Edward Weston
(American, 1886-1958)
Date: 1926
Medium: Gelatin silver print
Dimensions:
9 5/8 x 7 5/8 in. (24.4 x 19.4 cm)
50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16 in.) (Other, Mat)
Credit Line: Gift of Peter Glusker, MD in memory of his mother, Anita Brenner
Object number: 2003.18.5
Copyright: © Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regents / Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York
Inscribed: On reverse along left edge in pen: "Silla de Paracho, Mich."
Provenance: Anita Brenner Collection
Label Text
This hand-carved, wooden chair, viewed head-on and removed from its domestic setting, is presented not as an object of utility but, rather, as a work of art. Edward Weston took an objective approach to capturing Mexico and its people. He rejected the sentimentality that characterized earlier trends in photography, choosing to isolate and explore formal compositional elements. Using sharp focus, highlighting textures, and emphasizing dramatic shadows, Weston transformed everyday objects and details, making them appear monumental. Although Weston was only in Mexico from 1923 to 1926, his later work reflects his experience there: taking a close-up of a cabbage leaf, for instance, to the point of abstraction.
(Lana Meador, 2017)
(Lana Meador, 2017)
Not on view
In Collection(s)
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.
