Accession Number
1987/1.231

Title
Untitled

Artist(s)
Burk Uzzle

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1955-1965

Medium & Support
gelatin silver print on paper

Dimensions
11 in x 14 in (27.94 cm x 35.56 cm);14 5/16 in x 19 5/16 in (36.35 cm x 49.05 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Douglas M. Kenyon

Subject matter
This photograph depicts a scene in a rural landscape. The scene is largely anonymous and uneventful; a copse of dark trees stand by an empty road that runs up the left of the frame. However, protruding vertically up from the bottom right of the image, a large sign shaped and painted like a corn-on-the-cob stands boldly against the mundane scenery. Presumably an advertisement for a farm, the accompanying information has been cropped out of the image, leaving only the shape of the corncob, standing alone, erect and unexplained. The effect is purposefully awkward; the flatness of the sign contrasts with the depth of the rural space behind it. This humorous view hints at a perspective both mocking and appreciative, and elevates the mundanity of the handmade sign to a monumental level.

Physical Description
This photograph depicts a rural landscape with a handmade sign painted and shaped like a corncob standing in the right portion of the frame.

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
Rural life
corn
corncob (material)
farms
landscapes (environments)
modern and contemporary art
road
roads
rural communities
sign
signs (declatory or advertising artifacts)
trees