The Artist's Umbrella
Kühn always acknowledged his debt to painters and advised photographers, if they were to become artists, to look at paintings. In this photograph, the motif of nude children on the shore may have been suggested to Kühn by the work of Max Lieberman, a painter of the Munich Secession. The bold, graphic treatment is, however, purely photographic, closely suggesting a snapshot. From his vantage point, Kühn organized the scene into what appears to be an amusing rebus in which the white octagonal shape of the umbrella effectively hides the main protagonist from view. Combining the gum and platinum processes, the image is delicately printed in a soft palette of middle tones, which harmonize with its subdued humor.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Artist's Umbrella
- Artist: Heinrich Kühn (Austrian (born Germany), Dresden 1866–1944 Birgitz)
- Date: 1908
- Medium: Gum bichromate and platinum print
- Dimensions: Image: 22.6 x 28.7 cm (8 7/8 x 11 5/16 in.)
- Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Gilman Collection, Purchase, Mrs. Walter Annenberg and The Annenberg Foundation Gift, 2005
- Object Number: 2005.100.439
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
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