The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 21, 2025

A black-and-white photograph looking up at a spiral staircase from below. The stark black spiral of the railing contrasts with the square of white light shining through the window and sheer curtains in the lower right.

The Autonomous Spiral

1949 (printed before 1979)

Clarence John Laughlin

(American, 1905–1985)
America
gelatin silver print
Image: 34.1 x 26.9 cm (13 7/16 x 10 9/16 in.); Paper: 34.1 x 26.9 cm (13 7/16 x 10 9/16 in.); Mounted: 43.3 x 35.5 cm (17 1/16 x 14 in.)
Gift of Tom E. Hinson and Diana S. Tittle 2018.254
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The spiral staircase is a common feature of Creole architecture found throughout Louisiana.

Description

Laughlin’s depiction of a staircase transcends architectural documentation to become both a geometric exploration and a dream-like, surreal vision. He gives us a vertiginous view looking up rather than down, warping space through the use of light and shadow and the flattened perspective imposed by his choice of lens.
  • June 1981
    The New Gallery of Contemporary Art, Cleveland, OH
    Tom E. Hinson, Truth or Consequences, NM
    September 4, 2018
    the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=The Autonomous Spiral|url=false|author=Clarence John Laughlin|year=1949 (printed before 1979)|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2018.254