Untitled, from the series "Wild West"

David LevinthalWW-1989-097428

1989·Dye diffusion print·50.8 × 61 cm (20 × 24 in.)

<p>In 1986 the Polaroid company invited David Levinthal to experiment with its 20 × 24–inch camera, a massive apparatus weighing more than 200 pounds. Because instant photographs are printed right in the camera, large pictures necessitate large equipment. Levinthal liked the saturated colors, lustrous surface, and large size of the resulting photograph, and it became his primary format for the next 20 years. Dark brown and yellow development stains along the edges of the print were formed by residues of developing chemicals and are typical of large instant photographs. The prints are exceptionally sensitive to light and creasing, requiring careful handling.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1989
Medium: Dye diffusion print
Dimensions: 50.8 × 61 cm (20 × 24 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: David Levinthal

Artist

David Levinthal

Printmaking

David Levinthal is an American photographer born in 1949 who works primarily with constructed tableaux, toy soldiers, and miniature figures staged under theatrical lighting. His large-format color photographs transform small-scale dioramas into densely detailed, ambiguous narratives that oscillate between intimacy and monumentality. Working since the 1970s, Levinthal's practice engages with questions of representation, memory, and the gap between childhood play and adult interpretation. His methodical approach to composition and color rendering elevates the vernacular and the toy to the register of fine art photography.

San Francisco, CA, USA

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