Untitled, Vicinity of Attica, New York

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Copied Minor White, Untitled, Vicinity of Attica, New York, 1957, gelatin silver print, sheet and image: 3 346 38 in. (9.516.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Bernie Stadiem, 2003.35

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled, Vicinity of Attica, New York
Artist
Date
1957
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet and image: 3 346 38 in. (9.516.1 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Bernie Stadiem
Mediums Description
gelatin silver print
Classifications
Keywords
  • Waterscape
  • Landscape — New York — Attica
Object Number
2003.35

Artwork Description

“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