About this artwork
Drawing inspiration from the 19th-century motion studies of Eadweard Muybridge and Etienne-Jules Marey, Abelardo Morell simulated photographic stop-motion action in a series of sculptures made for the camera. This photograph of pounded lead forming the shape of a hammer hitting a nail in three “moments” is not intended to fool the viewer into thinking it is a scientific document. Rather, it plays artfully on the conventions of early stop-motion imagery, rendering each successive impression of the hammer slightly less crisp as if to simulate a short exposure time or the blur of an object in motion. Morell also seems to equate the imprint in lead with the action of light on photographic film, alluding to theories of photography that posit an indexical, or physical, connection between photographic images and reality.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Photography and Media
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Artist
- Abelardo Morell
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Title
- Motion Study of Hammer on Lead
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Place
- United States (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- Made 2004
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Medium
- Gelatin silver print
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Edition
- 3 of 30
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Dimensions
- Image: 57 × 46 cm (22 1/2 × 18 1/8 in.); Paper: 61 × 51 cm (24 1/16 × 20 1/8 in.)
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Credit Line
- Gift of Daniel Greenberg and Susan Steinhauser
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Reference Number
- 2014.1215
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Copyright
- © Abelardo Morell, courtesy of Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York.
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.
