|
||||
The most recognizable characteristic of Barbara in Florence, Italy is that it is clearly an image of a daughter made by her father—a photograph from an unconventional family album. From early in his daughter’s life, Harry Callahan included Barbara in his evolving photographic study of the world close at hand. This seemingly casual portrait, made during a family vacation when she was seven, catches her at ease against the backdrop of a formal garden. Shooting from above, Callahan isolated his daughter’s head at the bottom edge of the picture’s frame, breaking the traditional compositional rule of a centered subject. Above her, in areas light-splashed with color and deep shadow, the sky and surrounding foliage appear almost abstract. Sensing his daughter’s fascination with this unfamiliar and beautiful vista, he photographed Barbara lost in her own daydreams. She could be a modernist Alice in Wonderland. We see the garden through her eyes and sense Callahan’s mingled feelings of pride, happiness, and contentment at bringing her to this place. . . .
:: Paul Roth, Curator of Photography and Media Arts Text excerpted from A Capital Collection: Masterworks from the Corcoran Gallery of Art, which is available for purchase in the Corcoran Shop. :: Click here to purchase this catalog online :: View more Photography and Media Arts
|
Copyright © 2008, Corcoran Gallery of Art |