Terrors and Pleasures of Levitation
1972
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
portfolio of 10 gelatin silver prints, with title and table of contents page on cream laid paper
Dimensions
overall: 52.7 x 42.2 x 3 cm (20 3/4 x 16 5/8 x 1 3/16 in.)
Classification
Portfolio
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2001.67.193-202
Art Historical Context
In the National Gallery of Art's collection, Aaron Siskind *Terrors and Pleasures of Levitation* (2) stands as a captivating portfolio of 10 gelatin silver prints, accompanied by a title and table of contents page on cream laid paper. Measuring 52.7 x 42.2 x 3 cm overall, this classified portfolio—acquired through the Patrons' Permanent—exemplifies Siskind late-career mastery in abstract photography. Gelatin silver prints, a of mid-20th-century fine art photography, offer rich tonal depth and meticulous detail, allowing Siskind to transform everyday textures into soaring, otherworldly composit...
About the Artist
Aaron Siskind
Aaron Siskind (1903–1991), born in New York City to Russian Jewish immigrant parents as the fifth of six children, initially pursued literature and poetry before discovering photography. After graduating from City College of New York with a Bachelor of Social Science in Literature in 1926, he taught English in New York public schools for over two decades. A camera received as a wedding gift in 192...