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Sitting

A work made of internal dye diffusion transfer print.

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  • A work made of internal dye diffusion transfer print.

Date:

October 17, 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.” The majority of his work portrays his nude body, so it is noteworthy to see him here fully clothed, posing next to a nude woman whose identity is obscured by line drawings.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Photography and Media

Artist

Lucas Samaras

Title

Sitting

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.

Made 1978

Medium

Internal dye diffusion transfer print

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

1991.993

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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