Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a photographic photography by Istvan Tóth. 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 a collection donated to the Archive of Art and Design in 1938 by William Kineton Parkes.
Subject & Meaning
The photograph depicts an unfinished sculpture of a muscular man straining to lift a heavy object, possibly a rock or a body, conveying a sense of raw physical effort.
Technique & Style
The sculpture's uneven surface and textured appearance are accentuated by the lighting, which creates contrasting areas of highlight and shadow, exemplifying the artistic technique of chiaroscuro.
History & Provenance
The photograph was received by Kineton Parkes, a novelist, art historian, and librarian, in response to a questionnaire he distributed to sculptors in the 1920s, providing insight into the artist's working process.
Artist & collection
Artist
István Tóth spent his days walking Budapest with an old Voigtländer tucked under his coat, snapping whatever caught his eye—storefronts, street kids, the Danube’s water stains on the embankment.
