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Truckman's House, New York, from Portfolio Three

Artist/Maker (American, 1890–1976)
Date1920
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 9 5/16 × 7 5/8 in. (23.7 × 19.4 cm)
Sheet: 9 13/16 × 7 7/8 in. (24.9 × 20 cm)
Credit LineGift of Michael E. Hoffman in honor of John H. Gutfreund (OC 1951)
EditionArtist's Proof #1
PortfolioPortfolio Three
Object number1993.25.1.4
Status
Not on view
Copyright© The Paul Strand FoundationMore Information
An extremely prolific photographer, Paul Strand devoted his work to an array of subject matter and photographic projects. His natural landscape scenes, which match the works of Ansel Adams in their serene beauty, are contrasted by images such as this one, a scene which overlooks a cluttered urban setting. A large billboard displaying a movie ad protrudes from the deserted landscape. Strand sought to express the distinctive character of each person and place he photographed, and his works carry an intensity and directness. Strand sought to "come to grips with the difficult reality of America," to capture images with a profound sense of place that were distinctly American. During the 1920s, he made several photographs of buildings and machines, the very things that were responsible for much of what he described as the "crassness and brutality of the American scene." His images bear no moral judgement, but instead reflect an objective interest in structure and substance.
Exhibition History
Paul Strand: The Art and Craft of Photography
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (April 25, 1995 - June 18, 1995 )
Changing Visions of the North American Landscape
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (October 24, 2000 - January 28, 2001 )
Facing America: Portraits of the People and the Land
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (February 18, 2006 - December 17, 2006 )
Modern and Contemporary Realisms
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (August 6, 2013 - June 22, 2014 )
Collections
  • Modern & Contemporary