The X-Ray Plex
1986
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
silver dye bleach print
Dimensions
image: 38.74 × 39.37 cm (15 1/4 × 15 1/2 in.) sheet: 40.64 × 50.8 cm (16 × 20 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Gift of Dr. and Mrs. John V. Knaus)
Accession Number
2015.19.4707
Art Historical Context
**The X-Ray Plex**1986) by Arthurress invites viewers into the photographer's signature world of surreal imagination. Tress, an American artist celebrated for his dreamlike, staged compositions that blend fantasy with the everyday, crafted this striking image using the silver dye bleach print process—also known as Ilfochrome This medium, prized in the 1980s for its exceptional color saturation, archival stability, and glossy surface, allowed Tress to achieve vivid, luminous results from color transparencies, pushing the boundaries of fine art photography beyond traditional gelatin silver print...
About the Artist
Arthur Tress
Arthur Tress (born 1940) is an American photographer whose deeply psychological and surrealist-inflected imagery has earned him a distinctive place in the history of fine art photography. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he studied art history at Bard College before traveling widely — to Japan, Africa, and Europe — absorbing visual traditions far beyond his own cultural background. These experiences pr...