The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Untitled

Untitled

c. 1932–1939
(American, 1907–1981)
America, 20th century
gelatin silver print, photogram
Image: 13.9 x 10.9 cm (5 1/2 x 4 5/16 in.); Matted: 45.7 x 35.6 cm (18 x 14 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1989.396
© Estate of Theodore Roszak / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Location: not on view

Description

Only after Roszak’s death did knowledge of a small but important group of photograms created by the sculptor in the 1930s become widespread. He created these unique prints without the aid of a camera- there are no negatives. He instead placed objects directly onto photographic paper and exposed them to light. Using this technique he was able to achieve a remarkable tonal range, from velvety black to right white. Other than wire mesh and sheets of torn paper, the individual objects integrated into this compelling, ambiguous work are difficult to identify. The composition and mood of the photographs, with their emphasis on geometry and abstraction, are similar to Roszak’s constructions of this period.
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, Tom E Hinson. Catalogue of Photography. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1996. Reproduced: P. 307
    Sims, Lowery Stokes. The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content, and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2006. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 59, no. 72
    Cole, Mark, "Bi-polar Order", Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 46 no. 03, March 2006 Mentioned & reproduced: p. 8-9 archive.org
  • The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA), Cleveland, OH (June 9-August 20, 2006).
    MOCA Cleveland (6/9/2006 - 8/20/2006): "The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art", no. 72, p. 119, repr. p. 59.
    Made in U.S.A., l'art américain, 1908-1943, entre nationalisme et internationalisme [FRAME]. Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux, F-33000 Bordeaux, France (organizer) (October 5-December 31, 2001); Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes, Rennes, France (January 17-March 31, 2002); Musée Fabre, Montpellier, France (April 10-June 25, 2002).
    Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux (October 5-December 31, 2001); Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes (January 17-March 31, 2002); Musée Fabre, Montpellier (April 10-June 25, 2002). "Made in U.S.A., l'art américain, 1908-1943, entre nationalisme et internationalisme," exh. cat. repr. p. 225.
    The Year in Review for 1989. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 6-April 15, 1990).
    CMA, Feb. 6 - April 15, 1990: "Year in Review 1989," CMA Bulletin, 77 (Feb. 1990), p. 68, no. 52.
  • {{cite web|title=Untitled|url=false|author=Theodore Roszak|year=c. 1932–1939|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1989.396