Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a photographic photography by Séraphin Soudbinine. It is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
This untitled black-and-white photograph, mounted on green card, depicts a carved figure standing on a pedestal. The image features a stiff, angular sculpture with geometric folds, a halo, and a round object held aloft.
Subject & Meaning
The sculpture in the photograph portrays a solemn, haloed figure in a long, sharply creased robe, holding a possibly symbolic round object (globe or shield). The figure's mask-like, serious expression and raised arms convey a sense of formality and purpose.
Technique & Style
The photograph's grainy, faded quality and strong contrasts evoke a chiaroscuro effect, emphasizing light and shadow. The sculpture itself, with its block-like structure and lack of soft curves, suggests a stylized, geometric approach to form.
History & Provenance
The photograph was sent to William Kineton Parkes, a novelist and art historian, by an unidentified sculptor as part of a 1920s survey on sculpture. It was bequeathed to the Archive of Art and Design as part of Parkes' collection in 1938.
Context
Created in the context of Parkes' questionnaire, which aimed to document sculptors' practices, the photograph provides insight into early 20th-century sculptural styles and the scholarly efforts to catalog them.
Artist & collection
Artist
Séraphin Soudbinine made photographs, mostly untitled, in an era when cameras were still a new tool.
