Boucherie, Rue Christine
Eugène Atget; Berenice Abbott
Description
Subject Matter:
In this tightly framed photograph of the display window of a butcher's shop, Atget aligns a series of rectangles: the shop sign, the entryway, even the shape of the display case inside. This geometric rhythm is broken by the carcasses of varying shapes and sizes that hang from the window frame, bright white in the reflected sunlight. The dimness of the interior makes it impossible to see inside the shop, forcing the viewer to consider the forms of flayed flesh at the center of the image. As with many of Atget's photographs, the subject oscillates between the general and the specific. The title and inclusion of the shop sign identifies this as a particular butcher on the Rue Christine in the sixth arrondisement of Paris, but by cropping out all contextual detail Atget renders the image resonant of a generic type, as well.
Physical Description:
Display window of a butcher's shop.
Usage Rights:
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