Paracelsus
Artist
Frederick Sommer
(American, born Italy, 1905 - 1999)
Date1959
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 13 3/8 x 10 1/8 inches (33.97 x 25.72 cm)
Framed: 24 3/4 x 21 inches (62.87 x 53.34 cm)
Framed: 24 3/4 x 21 inches (62.87 x 53.34 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Hall Family Foundation
Object number2005.37.392
InscribedSigned/Titled/Dated
Signed in artist's hand
Back of Mount
Pencil
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionImage of a highly textured shape that resembles a gleaming armored torso; it is surrounded by darkness on all sides.Gallery LabelIs this a classical torso, a flayed body, or a pure tonal study? Frederick Sommer often explored such ambiguity in his photographs, which synthesize his deep interests in art, literature, philosophy, and science. Sommer sketched with pigment on cellophane and used this translucent drawing as a negative. Sommer then enlarged the image onto photographic paper. He titled the work after Paracelsus (1493–1541), the Swiss alchemist, physician, and philosopher who both valued scientific observation and had a reputation for predicting the future.
Copyright© Frederick & Frances Sommer Foundation
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