Cotton Mill
Artist
James Casebere
(American, born 1953)
Date1983
Mediumgelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 29 1/2 × 23 1/8 in. (74.9 × 58.7 cm)
Mat: 39 3/4 × 31 1/2 in. (101 × 80 cm)
Mat: 39 3/4 × 31 1/2 in. (101 × 80 cm)
ClassificationsPhotograph
Credit LineGift of John Robertshaw III, 2014
Object number2014.7.6
DescriptionConstructed scene in black-and-white dominated by multi-storied building with windows, partially blocked by the dark trunk of a tree and a large branch. Scene also features faux foliage at top margin and lower right.eMuseum Notes
A pioneer in constructed photography, Casebere began creating complex models for the camera in the late 1970s. Throughout the 1980s, he used this approach to explore what architecture reveals about culture, beginning with the American home and then broadening to include iconic American themes and buildings, such as this depiction of a cotton mill. The ominous atmosphere in this picture is typical of Casebere’s work, and here reminds us of the dishonorable legacy of slavery in the United States.
On View
Not on view
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
1769 (printed 1807-1835)
