Portrait of Auguste Rodin

Gertrude KäsebierWW-1905-038326

1905·Gum print·Image/paper: 33.2 × 23.9 cm (13 1/8 × 9 7/16 in.)

<p>As a member of the Photo-Secession—a group founded in 1902 by Alfred Stieglitz and like-minded artists to recognize photography as a distinct medium of individual expression—Gertrude Käsebier emphasized artistic composition and handcrafted prints. She revered the famous sculptor Auguste Rodin and considered her photographs of him among her greatest accomplishments, producing several different versions of his portrait. In this moody gum print—a process that allows for a more painterly effect—she has enlarged his face to create a sculptural profile. Hugh Edwards acquired this and one other Käsebier image of Rodin in 1967 and included both in an exhibition the following year called <em>Photography before 1914.</em></p>

Catalogue

Year: 1905
Medium: Gum print
Dimensions: Image/paper: 33.2 × 23.9 cm (13 1/8 × 9 7/16 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Gertrude Käsebier

Artist

Gertrude Käsebier

Mixed Media

Gertrude Käsebier was an American photographer and pictorialist pioneer who elevated photography to fine art status in the early twentieth century. Working primarily in platinum and gum bichromate processes, she created intimate portraits and allegorical compositions that rejected the documentary aesthetic of her contemporaries. Her soft-focus, carefully composed images of mothers, children, and Native American subjects established her as a leading figure in the Photo-Secession movement.

Fort Des Moines, IA, United States

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