Artwork Page for Mullein in Bloom

Details / Information for Mullein in Bloom

Mullein in Bloom

c. 1897–1899

Eugène Atget

(French, 1857–1927)
Culture
France, 20th century
Medium
albumen print
Measurements
Image: 21.8 x 17.6 cm (8 9/16 x 6 15/16 in.); Paper: 21.8 x 18 cm (8 9/16 x 7 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 2007.26
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Atget produced architectural details, views of historic Paris, landscapes, and botanical images for use by painters and illustrators. Despite being a product of the 19th century, he was greatly admired by the avant-garde photographers of the 1920s. Modernists esteemed the straightforwardness of his photographs, while the Surrealists found inspiration in their evocative power. An artist or illustrator using this image of a common plant used in herbal remedies would have ignored the landscape background. But the Surrealists would have appreciated the unexpected, unintended surrealism of its odd juxtaposition of sheet, plant, and landscape.
A vertically oriented albumen print in warm sepia tones depicts a tall mullein plant centered against a draped white cloth. Textured, jagged leaves fan out from a base of light-colored rocks. Multiple flower stalks rise vertically, the tallest spear-like in the center. To the right, a sunlit hillside features dark, scrubby bushes. Harsh light creates long shadows, accentuating the rugged texture of the landscape.

Mullein in Bloom

c. 1897–1899

Eugène Atget

(French, 1857–1927)
France, 20th century

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