Gap Between Set and Painted Backdrop; Feature Film, "It's A Wonderful Life" - Stage #12
Artist
Robert Cumming
(b. 1943)
CultureAmerican
Date1977
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsOverall, Image: 7 3/4 × 9 3/4 in. (19.7 × 24.8 cm)
Overall, Support: 10 7/8 × 14 7/8 in. (27.6 × 37.8 cm)
Overall, Mat: 20 × 16 1/8 in. (50.8 × 41 cm)
Overall, Support: 10 7/8 × 14 7/8 in. (27.6 × 37.8 cm)
Overall, Mat: 20 × 16 1/8 in. (50.8 × 41 cm)
InscribedSigned on verso
Credit LineMuseum purchase in memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank
Object number2000.23.1.14
Not on view
DescriptionThis is a gelatin silver print; it is part of the portfolio "Studio Still Lifes, Universal Studios, California."Label TextRobert Cumming American (b. 1943) Gap Between Set and Painted Backdrop; from feature film "Its a Wonderful Life," Universal Studios, California, 1977 Gelatin-silver contact print Purchase, in memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank 2000.23.1.14 A highly influential teacher and visual arts theorist in the 1970s, Cumming is widely recognized for his painting and sculpture as well as his photography. He was among the earliest to use the medium in a conceptual manner not simply to document a performance but to create a new work of art using photography. This work deals with the artifice and illusion created by Hollywood which is revealed by the photographer in the image that he presents to the viewer. The photographs appear to be straightforward documents of movie sets. However, Cumming is interested in the Cubist nature of the set and the phenomenon of how a film compresses and expands time. Additionally, this image is imbued with a tinge of surrealism.Exhibition History"History of Photography," Alice R. and Sol B. Frank Photography Galleries, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va, Fall, 2001.