Photographs of Mexico
Artist: Paul Strand (American, 1890-1976)
Date: 1940
Dimensions:
H: 10 1/4 in. (26 cm); W: 8 1/4 in. (21 cm) (Dealer)
Medium: Photogravure.
Classification: Photographs
Credit Line: Winthrop H. Perry Fund
Object number: 2005.34A
Label Text:Paul Strand visited Mexico in 1932. During his trip he photographed the natural landscape, realizing that the land both formed and reflected the culture of the people who inhabited it— “long lived on and over by humans,” as he wrote. However, in the portfolio Photographs of Mexico, from which these two images are taken, Strand did not limit his artistic vision to the land only. He photographed the Mexicans Indians on the streets in candid shots achieved using a camera equipped with a prism, which allowed him to stand at right angles to his subjects. They were thus unaware that their photograph was being taken. In this way he achieved a sense of solemnity and monumentality not found in his earlier work.
DescriptionPhotogravures printed under the supervision of Strand.
Not on view