About this artwork
Here Paul Strand reacted against an earlier trend in photography to imitate painting so photography would be more readily recognized as a fine art. Strand promoted what came to be known as straight photography, made (as he put it) “without tricks of process or manipulation.” In the years shortly before he made this image, Strand began experimenting with abstraction; acquired an 8 × 10–inch camera, and produced a film, Manhatta (1920–21); with artist Charles Sheeler. Such activities are reflected in this photograph, in which Strand angled his large-format camera downward to capture the geometric forms of the rooftops in striking detail. The angle echoes a scene from his own film that depicted the urban bustle of lower Manhattan.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Photography and Media
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Artist
- Paul Strand
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Title
- The Court, New York
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Place
- United States (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- Made 1924
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Medium
- Gelatin silver print
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Inscriptions
- Unmarked recto; unchecked verso
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Dimensions
- Image/paper: 24.5 × 19.4 cm (9 11/16 × 7 11/16 in.); Mount: 45.4 × 35.2 cm (17 7/8 × 13 7/8 in.)
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Credit Line
- Ada Turnbull Hertle Fund
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Reference Number
- 1980.66
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Copyright
- © Paul Strand Archive/Aperture Foundation
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.