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Still Life

A work made of internal dye diffusion transfer print.

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  • A work made of internal dye diffusion transfer print.

Date:

July 7, 1978

Artist:

Lucas Samaras
American, 1936-2024

About this artwork

Lucas Samaras, a versatile artist with roots in Pop Art and Surrealism, has turned the camera on himself since the late 1960s, with the Polaroid, or instant color photograph, his preferred medium. His self-titled AutoPolaroids elevate and reclaim a popular technology and express an obsession with the self—not unlike that unleashed by the advent of camera phones. Samaras enhances his photographs with filters, scratches, manipulation of chemicals, and, as in this example, ink dots to create what he calls “visual excitement.” His work often exposes the artifice of a studio setup, as in this photograph, where he allows viewers a glimpse of the various tools he utilizes to achieve his optical and material alterations.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Photography and Media

Artist

Lucas Samaras

Title

Still Life

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1978

Medium

Internal dye diffusion transfer print

Inscriptions

Unmarked recto; inscribed verso, lower left, in graphite: "7/7/78 / 6"; stamped verso, lower left, in blue ink: "C82338D35323A"

Dimensions

Image: 24 × 19 cm (9 1/2 × 7 1/2 in.); Paper: 27.5 × 21.4 cm (10 7/8 × 8 7/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Robert and Gayle Greenhill

Reference Number

1991.988

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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