Abstraction

Paul Outerbridge Jr.

1922 · Platinum print · Photographs

Outerbridge was as a commercial photographer, but also produced photographs as a means of personal expression. In the early 1920s, he made platinum prints of commonplace objects, transforming them into Cubist-derived abstractions through an acute sensitivity to light and pattern. Here, a simple box casts curious shadows, creating a flattened geometric composition reminiscent of Cubist still lifes by Picasso and Braque (see Gallery 908 and 910). Abstraction exemplifies Outerbridge’s ability to control spatial relationships, a skill that led critics to compare him to painters of his time.

Artist

Paul Outerbridge Jr.

Date

1922

Medium

Platinum print

Department

Photographs

Credit line

Gift of the artist, 1929