Artist
Edward Weston (American, 1886–1958)American, 1886–1958
CultureAmerican
Titles
- Oak, Monterey County
Date1929
PlaceMonterey, California, United States
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 7 9/16 × 9 7/16 in. (19.2 × 24 cm)
Sheet: 7 9/16 × 9 7/16 in. (19.2 × 24 cm)
Mount: 14 15/16 × 15 1/2 in. (38 × 39.4 cm)
Sheet: 7 9/16 × 9 7/16 in. (19.2 × 24 cm)
Mount: 14 15/16 × 15 1/2 in. (38 × 39.4 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Caroline Wiess Law Accessions Endowment Fund, The Manfred Heiting Collection
Object number2002.2645
Non exposé
Explore Further
Department
PhotographySpecial Collections
Object Type
Edward Weston looked to nature as a source of poetry and metaphor. His photograph of an oak tree with limbs stretching out into the darkness presents the tree as a dynamic sign. Weston once stated that the goal of his art was to reveal "The Thing Itself . . . to photograph a rock, have it look like a rock, but be more than a rock." This idea of looking at the symbolic meaning of form while taking "straight," sharply focused images was foundational for photographers favoring a more subjective approach in the 20th century, particularly in the United States.
ProvenanceWeston Gallery, Carmel; Stephen White Gallery, Los Angeles.
Bought by Manfred Heiting from Stephen White Associates on 12/27/1974.
Exhibition History"Die Künstlichkeit des Wirklichen", Kestnergesellschaft, Hannover,1998.
"American Vision: Photographers from the West, Selections from the Manfred Heiting Collection purchased by the Brown Foundation for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston from August 23-February 1, 2004.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Inscribed in pencil, recto of mount, beneath lower left of image/sheet: "2/50"
Inscribed in pencil, verso of mount, upper left: "28T / 1929 / 11 Raw"
Inscribed in pencil, verso of mount, upper left: "28T / 1929 / 11 Raw"
Signed and dated in pencil, recto of mount, beneath lower right of image: "Edward Weston 1929"
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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