Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a photographic photography by Vitaliano Marchini. It is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
This untitled black-and-white photograph is part of the Archive of Art and Design. It is mounted on a green card and depicts a stone sculpture featuring four figures.
Subject & Meaning
The sculpture shows a central male figure holding a child, flanked by two women, one holding a staff and the other leaning in with a blurred face. The figures' calm, simplified forms and lack of strong emotions suggest a serene scene.
Technique & Style
The photograph highlights the sculpture's smooth stone surfaces, with the man's beard and the child's hands providing textural contrast. The overall effect is one of simplicity and restraint.
History & Provenance
The photograph was submitted to William Kineton Parkes, a novelist and art historian, in response to a questionnaire he circulated among sculptors in the 1920s. It was bequeathed to the archive in 1938 as part of his collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Vitaliano Marchini’s photographs show everyday scenes turned strange and poetic. Try the Untitled photograph in our bundle, where a lone figure walks a wet street at night, neon signs bleeding color across the pavement.…
