Untitled
Artist
Darryl Curran
(American, 1935)
Date1979
MediumCyanotype
DimensionsImage: 11 1/2 × 17 1/2 in. (29.2 × 44.5 cm)
Support: 20 × 26 in. (50.8 × 66 cm)
Support: 20 × 26 in. (50.8 × 66 cm)
ClassificationsPhotograph
Credit LineGift of Darryl Curran in memory of Carole Briant, 2020
Object number2021.1.3
DescriptionHorizontal composition with nude female in foreground from navel to mid-calf, body turned towar the left. Behind her at center is a tall four-legged stool and at left the crown of an open umbrella.eMuseum Notes
In this comic send-up of the classic subject of artist and model, Curran’s studio session appears to have reached an awkward conclusion as the nude model tumbles off her high stool and collides with his lighting umbrella. The series title “Blue Nude” refers to the artist’s use of the cyanotype process, developed in 1842 by the astronomer and scientist Sir John Herschel, which creates blue prints. Curran is known for his interest in historic photo processes and was particularly interested in contrasting the model’s luminous white skin against the iron-rich blue of the cyanotype. Using a single-colored print helps Curran focus our attention on form rather than details in this composition filled with lines and angles.
On View
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