Portrait of My Father with Newspaper

Larry Sultan, Portrait of My Father with Newspaper, 1988, chromogenic print, image: 28 ⁵⁄₈ x 34 ⁵⁄₈ in. (72.7 x 87.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Nan Tucker McEvoy, 1989.58, © 1988, Larry Sultan

Artwork Details

Title: Portrait of My Father with Newspaper
Artist: Larry Sultan
Date: 1988
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: image: 28 ⁵⁄₈ x 34 ⁵⁄₈ in. (72.7 x 87.9 cm.)
Copyright: © 1988, Larry Sultan
Credit Line: Gift of Nan Tucker McEvoy
Mediums Description: chromogenic print
Classifications: Photography
Photoprint
Highlights: Photography
Subjects: Recreation — leisure — reading
Portrait male — Sultan, Mr.
Object — written matter — newspaper
Object Number: 1989.58
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1989.58

Artwork Description

In Portrait of My Father with Newspaper, Irving Sultan reads the Los Angeles Times as light pours in behind him. This carefully composed portrait reveals the artist’s father almost entirely through reflections and shadows. Thin newsprint shields his body from the camera, while only a vague profile of his face is discernible on the right half of the spread.
Prompted by the discovery of a box of home movies, Larry Sultan embarked on an eight-year enquiry into his parents’ lives. He stayed in their home for weeks at a time, interviewing them about their marriage and photographing their domestic activities.

A Democracy of Images: Photographs from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2013