Lathe, Akeley Shop, New York

1923
(American, 1890–1976)
Image: 24.4 x 19.3 cm (9 5/8 x 7 5/8 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16 in.)
© Aperture Foundation, Inc., Paul Strand Archive
This artwork is known to be under copyright.
Location: not on view

Download, Print and Share

Description

For a brief period during the first half of the 1920s, Strand created a remarkable group of precisionist photographs, close-up portraits of the Akeley Motion Picture Camera, machine gears, and in this picture, the lathe in the Akeley machine shop. All are studies of the modern machine, not just as a mechanical object, but as a form with dynamic aesthetic qualities. Relating to the European avant-garde of the 1910s, this photograph eloquently expresses Strand’s preoccupation with the surface, form, and volume of mechanical objects. Precisely cropped and lit, the energetic composition is a cavalcade of different geometric shapes, all pristinely rendered.
Lathe, Akeley Shop, New York

Lathe, Akeley Shop, New York

1923

Paul Strand

(American, 1890–1976)
America, 20th century

Visually Similar Artworks

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.