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Cape Cod

Harry Callahan

Artwork Details

Cape Cod
1972
Harry Callahan
gelatin silver print on paper
11 in x 14 in (27.94 cm x 35.56 cm)
Gift of Maxine and Lawrence K. Snider
2011/2.6

Description

Recent Acquisitions: Curators Choice Part I, November 12, 2011-March 18, 2012
Harry Callahan
United States, 1912–1999
Cape Cod
1972
Gelatin silver print
Gift of Larry and Maxine Snider

Subject Matter:

A black-and-white photo of a beach without people. A volleyball net is set up in the sand and some small boats are washed up on the shore. Whereas Callahan's photograph of the same beach during the daytime sets up distinct compositional zones based on tonal and textural juxtapositions, this image lacks such obvious differentiation and instead features a smoother tonal gradation and a limited tonal range. The shadows created by the uneven terrain of the sandy beach at dusk give the semblance of a darker foreground, whose tonal value appears similar to that of the water surface upon which shadows of the clouds are cast. The darker, bottom half of the composition transitions into hazy and wispy clouds of low luminosity.

Physical Description:

Empty beach with a volleyball net set up.

Usage Rights:

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