Untitled

Christopher Dawson, Untitled, 1998, pigmented ink print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Billy and Jennifer Frist, 2011.2.1, © Christopher Dawson
Copied Christopher Dawson, Untitled, 1998, pigmented ink print, sheet and image: 10 1438 38 in. (26.097.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Billy and Jennifer Frist, 2011.2.1, © Christopher Dawson

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled
Date
1998
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet and image: 10 1438 38 in. (26.097.4 cm)
Copyright
© Christopher Dawson
Credit Line
Gift of Billy and Jennifer Frist
Mediums Description
pigmented ink print
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure group — family
  • Ceremony — holiday — Christmas
  • Architecture Interior — domestic — living room
Object Number
2011.2.1

Artwork Description

Christopher Dawson’s photographs of his relatives and extended family appear to capture distinct moments, but they are in fact constructed from multiple exposures taken in sequence and assembled to form narrative panoramas of interlocking gestures and expressions. The earliest image in this series, Livingston, Montana (1995), was created by mounting three individual prints side by side. Recently, Dawson has begun to make digital scans of multiple negatives to create single, unbroken images. In the print, the same figure appears repeatedly throughout the scene, a clever hint about his process.

Close to Home: Photographers and their Families, 2011