Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a photographic photography by Ernest Wise Keyser. It is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
This untitled photograph, mounted on a green card, depicts a bronze sculpture of a woman leaning against a draped column. The image is part of a collection bequeathed by William Kineton Parkes in 1938, now preserved in the Archive of Art and Design.
Subject & Meaning
The sculpture shows a barefoot woman with a draped cloth over one shoulder, her hair pulled back. She rests against a tall, vertically folded column with a carved base, her left arm on the column and right hand loose. The subject's pose and simple attire suggest a contemplative or classical theme.
Technique & Style
The photograph highlights the sculptural form through effective lighting, accentuating the shapes of the woman's body and the draped fabric. The style of the sculpture itself appears to blend classical influences with a sense of modern simplicity in pose and attire.
History & Provenance
The photograph was among responses to questionnaires sent by William Kineton Parkes to sculptors in the 1920s. Parkes, a writer on sculpture, bequeathed the collection to the Archive of Art and Design in 1938.
Context
The sculpture and its photograph exist within a broader context of early 20th-century sculptural practices, reflecting interactions between artists and critics like Parkes. Similar sculptures can be found in collections such as the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ernest Wise Keyser (1876–1959) was an American sculptor born in Baltimore, Maryland on December 10, 1876.
