lesterbootus
Nude with Clock, William Mortensen
Descriptive Title: Nude with Clock
Date:1928
Medium: Negative, gelatin on glass
Size: 4.25/3.35in
Source of image: George Eastman House, gift of 3M Company: ex-collection Louis Walton Sipley
Artist Bio: William Mortenson, (1897-1965) lived a quiet and secretive life but made quiet the impact on the art community, especially in the world of photography. Joseph Bellows Gallery described his art as combining "the notions of classical art and literature with the allure and phantasm of Hollywood." Mortensen had a studio in Laguna beach California and often made his living taking photos of Hollywood stars including Fay Wray, Cecil B. deMille and Marlene Dietrich. He later took promotional photos for L.A Sunday Times creating dramatic scenes with actors in costume. He was a master of lighting and wrote manuals on the subject along with the problems of posing. His developing techniques were unique and his alternative process often included manipulating his photos with razor blades or carbon pencils. His photos tended to be more adorned and dramatic challenging the concepts of the up and coming "purest" movement of the time. Many regarded Mortensen as the enemy of photography, treating his photos as a threat (perhaps to common sense), and excluded him from the elitist art communities. His photography fell out of favor with the masses and his career slipped away. Nude with Clock is one of many studio pictures taken by Mortensen. This image with the over sized clock and the woman stretching luxuriously reminds me of a combination between Salvador Dali and a Hollywood stage setting. The subject matter is both whimsical and bizarre.
Nude with Clock, William Mortensen
Descriptive Title: Nude with Clock
Date:1928
Medium: Negative, gelatin on glass
Size: 4.25/3.35in
Source of image: George Eastman House, gift of 3M Company: ex-collection Louis Walton Sipley
Artist Bio: William Mortenson, (1897-1965) lived a quiet and secretive life but made quiet the impact on the art community, especially in the world of photography. Joseph Bellows Gallery described his art as combining "the notions of classical art and literature with the allure and phantasm of Hollywood." Mortensen had a studio in Laguna beach California and often made his living taking photos of Hollywood stars including Fay Wray, Cecil B. deMille and Marlene Dietrich. He later took promotional photos for L.A Sunday Times creating dramatic scenes with actors in costume. He was a master of lighting and wrote manuals on the subject along with the problems of posing. His developing techniques were unique and his alternative process often included manipulating his photos with razor blades or carbon pencils. His photos tended to be more adorned and dramatic challenging the concepts of the up and coming "purest" movement of the time. Many regarded Mortensen as the enemy of photography, treating his photos as a threat (perhaps to common sense), and excluded him from the elitist art communities. His photography fell out of favor with the masses and his career slipped away. Nude with Clock is one of many studio pictures taken by Mortensen. This image with the over sized clock and the woman stretching luxuriously reminds me of a combination between Salvador Dali and a Hollywood stage setting. The subject matter is both whimsical and bizarre.