Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a photographic photography by Wilhelm Frass. It is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The piece is a photographic print mounted on a green backing card, depicting a fragmentary stone torso of a female figure.
About this work
Overview
The piece is a photographic print mounted on a green backing card, depicting a fragmentary stone torso of a female figure. The image presents the sculptural fragment at a slant against a dark backdrop, emphasizing its light‑colored, rough surface while omitting the head and legs.
Subject & Meaning
The photographed object is a partial stone sculpture of a woman's torso, truncated at both the top and bottom. By isolating the torso, the image foregrounds the bodily form and texture, inviting contemplation of the human figure in an incomplete, abstracted state.
Technique & Style
The photograph captures the stone's surface texture and tonal contrast, using a dark background to isolate the subject. The mounting on a green card adds a subtle frame, while the angled presentation creates a sense of dynamism within the static medium.
History & Provenance
The image originates from a collection assembled by William Kineton Parkes, a novelist, art historian, and librarian who bequeathed his holdings in 1938. In the 1920s Parkes circulated questionnaires to sculptors, and this photograph was among the responses he received. It now resides in the Archive of Art and Design.
Context
Parkes’s interest in sculpture led him to gather visual documentation from contemporary artists, situating this photograph within a broader effort to record sculptural practice in the early twentieth century. The work reflects the period’s emphasis on documenting artistic processes and objects for scholarly study.
Artist & collection
Artist
Wilhelm Frass was an Austrian sculptor. His work was part of the sculpture event in the art competition at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
