Nude
Photograph
1930s (photographed)
1930s (photographed)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Hungarian-born photographer Brassaï is perhaps best known for photographs of Paris, in which he documented the streets, architecture, society and nightlife of the city during the inter-war years. His photographs caught the attention of André Breton and the Surrealists, which led to a ten year association with the group; although, Brassaï was careful to never call himself a Surrealist and maintained that his photographs were objective.
Over 150 of Brassaï’s photographs were published in the Surrealist journal 'Le Minotaure' – mostly female nudes that he made in the early 1930s. These nudes are characterised by the cropping of heads and limbs, with the camera frame focussing on the torso. The bodies are truncated, often distorted, as individuality is reduced in favour of exploring the corporeal. The figures become transformative, morphing into phalluses, violins and abstract compositions, and are suspended in space with a dreamlike quality. Whilst Brassaï never accepted himself as a Surrealist nor referenced them when writing about his work, these photographs speak to the Surrealist concern with the line between the conscious and the subconscious, and to the theories of Freud, a psychoanalyst prominent in Surrealist theory.
Over 150 of Brassaï’s photographs were published in the Surrealist journal 'Le Minotaure' – mostly female nudes that he made in the early 1930s. These nudes are characterised by the cropping of heads and limbs, with the camera frame focussing on the torso. The bodies are truncated, often distorted, as individuality is reduced in favour of exploring the corporeal. The figures become transformative, morphing into phalluses, violins and abstract compositions, and are suspended in space with a dreamlike quality. Whilst Brassaï never accepted himself as a Surrealist nor referenced them when writing about his work, these photographs speak to the Surrealist concern with the line between the conscious and the subconscious, and to the theories of Freud, a psychoanalyst prominent in Surrealist theory.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Title | Nude (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Gelatin silver print |
Brief description | Photograph by Brassaï, 'Nu' [Nude], 1930s, gelatin silver print |
Physical description | Black and white photograph depicting a nude female figure, cropped from the buttocks to the upper back |
Dimensions |
|
Styles | |
Gallery label | Gallery 100, 2016-17:
Brassaï (1899–1984)
Nude
1931–34
In this abstract nude, the twisted female torso becomes phallic in its form. The transformation of the female figure into a fetish object is a central theme in Surrealist art. The Surrealists argued that this was simply a reflection of the true state of the male unconscious.
Gelatin silver print
Bequest of Gilberte Boyer Brassaï
Museum no. E.870-2014 |
Credit line | Bequest of Gilberte Boyer Brassaï |
Object history | This object came to the museum as part of a bequest of 99 photographs by Brassaï from his widow, Madame Gilberte Boyer. |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | Hungarian-born photographer Brassaï is perhaps best known for photographs of Paris, in which he documented the streets, architecture, society and nightlife of the city during the inter-war years. His photographs caught the attention of André Breton and the Surrealists, which led to a ten year association with the group; although, Brassaï was careful to never call himself a Surrealist and maintained that his photographs were objective. Over 150 of Brassaï’s photographs were published in the Surrealist journal 'Le Minotaure' – mostly female nudes that he made in the early 1930s. These nudes are characterised by the cropping of heads and limbs, with the camera frame focussing on the torso. The bodies are truncated, often distorted, as individuality is reduced in favour of exploring the corporeal. The figures become transformative, morphing into phalluses, violins and abstract compositions, and are suspended in space with a dreamlike quality. Whilst Brassaï never accepted himself as a Surrealist nor referenced them when writing about his work, these photographs speak to the Surrealist concern with the line between the conscious and the subconscious, and to the theories of Freud, a psychoanalyst prominent in Surrealist theory. |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.870-2014 |
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Record created | April 15, 2015 |
Record URL |
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