Accession Number
1991/2.97

Title
Eleanor

Artist(s)
Harry Callahan

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1948

Medium & Support
gelatin silver print on paper

Dimensions
7 5/8 in x 9 1/4 in (19.4 cm x 23.5 cm);13 15/16 in x 16 15/16 in (35.4 cm x 43 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Two Friends of the Museum

Subject matter
This is a black-and-white photograph of a dark interior, barely lit by daylight through a window. A large casement window is in the center of the image. In the bottom right corner, a nude woman sits on a chair with her back turned toward the viewer. She faces a set of table and chairs, partially cropped from view. The image stages a dramatic juxtaposition between the deep black of the unlit left and upper sides of the composition and the pure brilliance of white light streaming from the windows. Between these zones are passages of delicate tonal gradation that reveal the uneven texture of the wall. The nude figure, likewise, is materialized through a similar play of tonal juxtapositions: the sharply delimited contours where light strikes her left and right arm contrasts with the middle of her back and head which is enveloped in darkness, receding from view.

Physical Description
Dark interior lit by window light, featuring a seated nude turned away from the viewer.

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
Figures
interior views
interiors
modern and contemporary art
nudes (representations)
shadows
window
window components