Nude
1982
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 31.4 x 47 cm (12 3/8 x 18 1/2 in.) sheet: 40.6 x 50.5 cm (16 x 19 7/8 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Joseph M. and Barbara Cohen Foundation Fund
Accession Number
2001.22.371
Art Historical Context
**Nude, 1982** Lee Friedlander (b. 1934), a pioneering American photographer renowned for his innovative street photography and complex compositions, captures the human form in this intimate gelatin silver print. Created in 1982, the work exemplifies Friedlander's late-career exploration of nudes, often set against everyday domestic environments. The medium—gelatin silver print—produces rich tonal contrasts and fine details, a hallmark of traditional darkroom printing that underscores the tactile quality of black-and-white photography during a time when color processes were gaining prominenc...
About the Artist
Lee Friedlander
Lee Friedlander, born on July 14, 1934, in Aberdeen, Washington, to a Finnish-descended mother, Kaari Nurmi, and German-Jewish émigré father, Fritz Friedlander, discovered photography at age 14 amid a fascination with the medium's equipment. Tragedy marked his childhood when his mother died of cancer at age seven, yet he pursued his passion, earning pocket money with a camera before studying under...