Artist
Clarence John Laughlin (American, 1905–1985)American, 1905–1985
CultureAmerican
Titles
- The Portent in the Shadow
Date1954
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 13 13/16 × 10 3/4 in. (35.1 × 27.3 cm)
Sheet: 13 13/16 × 10 3/4 in. (35.1 × 27.3 cm)
Mount: 17 × 14 in. (43.2 × 35.6 cm)
Sheet: 13 13/16 × 10 3/4 in. (35.1 × 27.3 cm)
Mount: 17 × 14 in. (43.2 × 35.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of Clinton T. Willour in honor of Bill and Ginny Camfield
Object number89.271
Not on view
Explore Further
Department
PhotographyObject Type
John Laughlin’s poetic and mysterious architectural studies have come to define
the Southern Gothic sensibility. Throughout his lifetime, Laughlin walked the
streets of New Orleans, his adopted home, photographing the city’s decaying
splendor. Here, Laughlin transforms a street sign’s shadow into an abstract,
spectral presence cast onto a crumbling building exterior.
ProvenanceClinton T. Willour, Houston; given to MFAH, 1989.
Exhibition History"Clarence John Laughlin: The Transcendence of the Object," Galveston Arts Center, Texas, January 20–February 25, 1996.
"40 Years of Discovery: Gifts of Clint Willour," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, June 9–October 14, 2018.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Signed, recto, below image: The Portent in the Shadow : 1954 Clarence John Laughlin
Signed, recto, below image: The Portent in the Shadow : 1954 Clarence John Laughlin
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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Clarence John Laughlin
September 28, 1947, printed 1981
Gelatin silver print
91.805
