The Composition

1927

Not on view

There are no accidents in a Drtikol photograph. In his constructed studio environments, women and objects are equated and painstakingly arranged. Indifferent to realism, he insisted that "the image must be complete in the photographer’s head a long time before it is reflected in the viewfinder." By the 1920s, this was an alienating position, increasingly out of step with modernist imperatives to reenvision the world through one’s lens. Yet Drtikol doubled down, eventually replacing live models with cutout pictures of women—even easier to contort than the gymnasts he had often hired. Here, exercising absolute control over an airtight realm, he orchestrates equilibrium between set pieces, inanimate and otherwise.

Artwork Details

Title: The Composition
Artist: Frantisek Drtikol (Czech, 1883–1961)
Date: 1927
Medium: Carbon print
Dimensions: 23.0 x 28.5 cm (9 1/16 x 11 1/4 in.)
Classification: Photographs
Credit Line: Ford Motor Company Collection, Gift of Ford Motor Company and John C. Waddell, 1987
Object Number: 1987.1100.363
Curatorial Department: Photographs

More Artwork

By Frantisek Drtikol

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

[Upper Torso of Young Male Nude, Holding Long White Rod and Posed behind Large, Dark, Circular Forms]
Frantisek Drtikol (Czech, 1883–1961)
1920s

[Nude with Hat and Bowl of Artificial Fruits, Posed amongst Undulating Stage Props]
Frantisek Drtikol (Czech, 1883–1961)
1920s

Carriage in the Fog
Josef Sudek (Czech, 1896–1976)
1919–22

Kendice
Josef Koudelka (Czech, born 1938)
1965

Prichod Noci
Josef Sudek (Czech, 1896–1976)
1948–64

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.