- Beautiful Vanessa
Sheet: 62 13/16 × 47 13/16 in. (159.5 × 121.5 cm)
Mount: 62 13/16 × 47 13/16 in. (159.5 × 121.5 cm)
Explore Further
Using a gargantuan camera and direct-positive paper, Richard
Learoyd creates exquisitely crafted, one of-a-kind images with astonishing detail
and mesmerizing presence. Although his photographs are unmistakably
contemporary, their sense of intimacy and quiet contemplation, emphasized by
unadorned backgrounds, soft lighting, and shallow depth of field, evokes painted
portraiture from the Dutch Masters to Edgar Degas as well as 19th-century
photography, including daguerreotypes and the work of Julia Margaret Cameron.
Their scale, detail, and sense of proximity invite the guilty pleasure of
voyeurism; within the thin plane of focus one can see each pore, hair, and
mole—the imperfections that make Learoyd’s subjects human.
ProvenanceThe artist; [Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco]; purchased by MFAH, 2016.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Printed on applied label verso, lower center of frame backing board: Fraenkel Gallery // 49 GEARY STREET SAN FRANCISCO 94108 // RICHARD LEAROYD // Beautiful Vanessa [underlined] // 2014 // camera obscura Ilfochrome photograph // 62-7/8 x 48 inches (image, sheet & mount // [159.6 x 121.9] // 75-3/4 x 60 inches (framed) // [192.4 x 152.4 cm] // signed, titled & dated verso on label in ink // [RL.0327.Y]
Printed label, verso bottom center of frame backing board: Richard Learoyd // Beautiful Vanessa // 2014 // (signature)
Printed and inscribed on applied label verso, right corner of frame backing board: UV Plexiglas // Clean with microfiber cloth // and ammonia-free cleaner // SEPT. 2016 [inscribed in black ink]
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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