Untitled
c. 1978
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to image): 44.8 x 54.8 cm (17 5/8 x 21 9/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2001.67.162
Art Historical Context
Daidō Moriyama's *Untitled* (c. 1978) is a striking gelatin silver print, a classic darkroom medium prized for its deep blacks, luminous whites, and fine grain that captures the raw energy of urban life. Measuring 44.8 x 54.8 cm, this trimmed-to-image sheet exemplifies Moriyama's signature high-contrast, grainy aesthetic, honed during Japan's post-war era. As a leading figure in the provocative Provoke movement of the late 1960s, Moriyama rejected polished perfection for blurred, shadowy snapshots that evoke the chaos and transience of Tokyo's streets. Created around 1978, this photograph ref...
About the Artist
Daidō Moriyama
**Daidō Moriyama**, born Hiromichi Moriyama on October 10, 1938, in Ikeda near Osaka, Japan, experienced a nomadic childhood as his family relocated frequently due to his father's job, living in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Chiba, and Shimane before settling back in Osaka around age 11. From ages 16 to 20, he apprenticed in graphic design at the studio of photographer Takeji Iwamiya in Osaka. In 1961, at 23,...