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Lakefront Fence

A work made of gelatin silver print.

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  • A work made of gelatin silver print.

Date:

c. 1947

Artist:

Harry Callahan
American, 1912–1999

About this artwork

Harry Callahan made this photograph shortly after he moved from his hometown of Detroit to Chicago to teach at the famed Institute of Design (ID). Callahan, along with Aaron Siskind, significantly advanced the school’s experimental approach to photography, establishing it as one of the most important photographic education programs in 20th-century America. Callahan’s aesthetic of formal exploration fused with personal subjectivity meshed perfectly with the school’s priorities. This image, which resembles a woodblock print more than a photograph, is something of a puzzle.The subject of this scene—Lake Michigan, viewed through steel piles, with wooden posts in the water farther away—is abstracted due to the use of a telephoto lens and high-contrast printing. This early image is emblematic of the approach Callahan had developed in Detroit and was now using explore his new environs.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Photography and Media

Artist

Harry Callahan

Title

Lakefront Fence

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 1942–1952

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Inscriptions

No markings recto or verso

Dimensions

Image/paper: 27.3 × 26.7 cm (10 3/4 × 10 9/16 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by Anstiss and Ronald Krueck in honor of Sylvia Wolf

Reference Number

1999.315

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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