Helmar Lerski
from the series Verwandlungen durch Licht

from the series Verwandlungen durch Licht
from the series Verwandlungen durch Licht
from the series Verwandlungen durch Licht
ArtistSwiss, born France, 1871–1956
CultureSwiss
Titles
  • from the series Verwandlungen durch Licht
  • from the series Metamorphosis Through Light
Date1936
PlaceTel Aviv, Israel
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 11 3/8 × 9 in. (28.9 × 22.9 cm)
Sheet: 11 3/8 × 9 in. (28.9 × 22.9 cm)
Credit LineThe Sonia and Kaye Marvins Portrait Collection, museum purchase funded by Sonia and Kaye Marvins
Object number85.217
Not on view

Explore Further

Department
Photography
Special Collections
Object Type
Description

The demand on most portraitists is
to record faithfully the physical and sometimes the psychological characteristics
of the person in front of the camera. The portraitist may or may not exert
overt influence on the surroundings—lighting, background, position of the
sitter—but his task ultimately is performed in the service of his client. In
rare instances, the artistic demands of the resulting image are ascendant, and
adherence to absolute representation is rejected.





During a three-month period, Helmar
Lerski produced a series of 175 photographic portraits of the same subject
which he called Metamorphosis Through Light. As the title suggests,
sunlight was reflected from mirrors positioned at various angles in diverse
intensities to transform radically the physical appearance of the man's face.
Photographed at extremely close range to eliminate extraneous material and to
emphasize the elements of graphic design, the resulting image is a distortion
rather than an elucidation of his features. Handwork was added to further heighten
and define the lines of the face.




Provenance Research Ongoing Exhibition HistoryExhibited "Evocative Presence: Twentieth Century photographs in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston February 27 - May 1, 1988

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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from the series Verwandlungen durch Licht
Helmar Lerski
1936
Gelatin silver print
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