{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O107465"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O107465/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AC9590/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AC9590/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AC9590","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O107465","accessionNumber":"89-1977","objectType":"Photograph","titles":[{"title":"Taylor, Arizona","type":"assigned by artist"}],"summaryDescription":"Frederick Sommer was born in Italy and spent much of his early life in Brazil before studying landscape architecture at Cornell University in New York state. Sommer also made paintings and drawings and in 1935, having settled in Prescott, Arizona, he travelled to New York to show his drawings to Alfred Stieglitz, a pioneer of modern photography. \r\n\r\nThis encounter and the introduction to other artists associated with Stieglitz’s gallery, ‘291’, had a decisive impact on Sommer. Stieglitz and the photographer Edward Weston became mentors, encouraging Sommer to pursue his interest in photography. The Surrealist Max Ernst was also a significant influence. This photograph shows Sommer’s mastery of photographic technique and his engagement with the ideas and practices of Surrealism.","physicalDescription":"Photograph of a window of  a wooden house.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Sommer, Frederick","id":"A10056"},"association":{"text":"photographer","id":"AAT25687"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"Gelatin-silver print","categories":[{"text":"Photographs","id":"THES48910"},{"text":"Uncanny","id":"THES379132"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2006AC9590"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLF","id":"THES49656"},"free":"","case":"X","shelf":"989","box":"B"}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"photograph","id":"AAT46300"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Arizona","id":"x29778"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1945","earliest":"1945-01-01","latest":"1945-12-31"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"19.6","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"24.6","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"'Taylor Arizona, 1945', photograph by Frederick Sommer (1905-1999)","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"window","id":"AAT2944"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"Arizona avant-garde \r\n\r\nThese two photographs show Sommer's mastery of photographic technique and his engagement with the ideas and practices of Surrealism. \r\n\r\nSommer settled in Prescott, Arizona, in 1935. In the same year he travelled to New York to show his drawings to Alfred Stieglitz, the great pioneer of modern photography. This encounter, and the introduction to other artists associated with Stieglitz's gallery, had a decisive impact on Sommer. The following year he also met Edward Weston, whose photographs he greatly admired. Stieglitz and Weston became mentors and encouraged Sommer to pursue his interest in photography. \r\n\r\nAnother significant influence was the Surrealist Max Ernst. They first met in 1941 and became closer when Ernst also moved to Arizona in 1946. In his portrait of Ernst, Sommer uses double exposure, combining a photograph of the artist with one of water stains on cement. In doing so, he evokes the Surrealist technique of 'frottage' (rubbing) and transforms an otherwise straightforward portrait into an uncanny homage.\r\n\r\n[161 words]\r\n \r\n\r\nMax Ernst\r\n1946\r\nGelatin-silver print\r\nGiven by the photographer\r\nMuseum no. E.997-1993\r\n\r\nTaylor, Arizona\r\n1945\r\nGelatin-silver print\r\nMuseum no. 89-1977","date":{"text":"20/01/2005","earliest":"2005-01-20","latest":"2005-01-20"}}],"partNumbers":["89-1977"],"accessionNumberNum":"89","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":1977,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-08","recordCreationDate":"2004-11-24","availableToBook":false}}