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Untitled

Artist Lee Friedlander (American, born 1934)

Date1967

DimensionsOverall: 10 15/16 x 13 7/8 in. (27.8 x 35.2 cm)

MediumSilver print

ClassificationPhotographs

Credit LinePurchased with funds given by an anonymous donor

Object number

1978.34

Not on View

Collections

Works on Paper

Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, TMA Recent Acquisitions, Prints, Photographs and Drawings, April 1979.

Toledo Museum of Art, Refraction/Reflection, April 20-September 2, 2012.

Label TextLee Friedlander is a street photographer whose ‘social landscapes’ (a term coined by Friedlander) appear at first glance to be quick studies; but are, upon closer examination, complex and evocative compositions, often designed to include the artist’s own shadow. Drawing inspiration from Walker Evans and Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander has taken social photography down his own path. His images do not contain the intensity of Frank’s best images, nor are they straightforward documents like Evans’ photographs. Instead, Friedlander’s street photographs—frequently composed of multiple elements and layers—are often slightly off-balance and display instances of humor. As gallery director Renato Danese wrote, “He was one of the first to perceive and render with assurance the odd visual juxtapositions which are a basic condition of the contemporary urban environment.” “Witness is borne and puzzles come together at the photographic moment which is very simple and complete.” --Lee Friedlander Using a wide-angle lens, Friedlander combines disparate elements, often relegating the most ‘photographic’ of them to the background to be upstaged by a sign, a fence, or a pole. In this image, his own shadow further obscures the scene, leaving the viewer unsure of what to focus on.