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Papaver

Karl Blossfeldt

Artwork Details

Papaver
1928
Karl Blossfeldt
rotogravure on paper
9 5/16 in x 12 1/8 in (23.65 cm x 30.8 cm)
Gift of Eeta Gershow
2014/2.13

Description

Subject Matter:

Presented as a diptych, this photograph displays two closeup views of dried poppy seed-pods.   The pod on the left appears hard and leathery, a ring of holes visible beneath a raised crown.  On the right, the pod’s crown is lowered, and covers its top in a carapace-like crest. Positioned as if heads in a portrait, these botanical specimens possess an uncanny anthropomorphic quality. With a handmade camera of his own devising, Blossfeldt created this photograph using a powerful magnifying lens, allowing him to render the textures of the tiny pods in crisp detail.  Printed in matte, green-black tones, this image originally appeared in the books, Urformen der Kunst  (1928) and Art Forms in Nature (1929), and accompanied other closeup views of botanical specimens. 

Physical Description:

Presented as a diptych, this photograph displays two closeup views of dried poppy seed-pods positioned against a light background.

Usage Rights:

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