Accession Number
2014/2.365

Title
Hand to Niemeyer, Niteroi, Brazil

Artist(s)
Kristin Capp

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
2005

Medium & Support
ink-jet pigment print on paper

Dimensions
24 in x 20 in (60.96 cm x 50.8 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Ms. Kathleen Lauster and Mr. Jarir Derouach

Subject matter
This photograph depicts a view of the contemporary art museum, Museu de Arte Contemporanea de Niteroi, located in Brazil. Designed by the architect, Oscar Niemeyer, the smooth, curved white forms are exemplary of the austerity and dynamism associated with contemporary art. This photograph was created with the camera placed on the low-lying wall of the walkway that snakes gently upwards towards the curved, sharply angled walls of the structure. To the right, a woman dressed in dark clothing stands partially cropped out of the image. Her slender arm extends down through the frame, her open palm in the center of the composition. The woman’s body is slightly blurred as the camera is focused instead on the structure beyond. This photograph’s title refers to the direction of the woman’s hand in relation to the architecture, which is extended almost in a gesture of introduction or appreciation. The title may also be a reference to a public monument designed by Niemeyer that consists of a large, concrete hand with red painted steel sheets on it, resembling both dripping blood and the shape of Central and South America. The sculpture represents the violent struggles for freedom and independence that many of the countries from those continents faced throughout history.  

Physical Description
This photograph depicts a view of a building with a woman standing to the right side of the frame, extending her arm. The architecture is predominately white, curved, and minimal.

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
Contemporary (style of art)
Modern (style or period)
architecture (object genre)
handrails
museums (buildings)