Untitled [5]

William WegmanWW-1998-097505

1998·Monochromatic internal dye diffusion transfer print·Frame: 92 × 61.5 × 3.7 cm (36 1/4 × 24 1/4 × 1 1/2 in.)

<p>William Wegman began to use the large 20 × 24–inch Polaroid camera to photograph his Weimaraner dogs in 1979. This print is part of a seven-image composition featuring the legs of his dogs (shown below). Unlike the film Robert Heinecken used in his diptych (on view nearby), Wegman’s film did not require a protective coating—by the time this work was created, Polaroid films no longer had coaters. But a missing portion of the lower left corner of the image shows that the developing chemical did not spread evenly over the entire surface of the negative when the film was pulled out of the camera. Instant prints are sensitive to moisture, which limits the kind of adhesives that can be used to mount them, as is required for this floating presentation.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1998
Medium: Monochromatic internal dye diffusion transfer print
Dimensions: Frame: 92 × 61.5 × 3.7 cm (36 1/4 × 24 1/4 × 1 1/2 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: William Wegman

Artist

William Wegman

Photography

William Wegman is an American artist born in 1943 known for photographic and video work centered on his Weimaraner dogs as primary subjects and collaborators. Working across photography, video, and drawing since the 1970s, Wegman constructs staged, often absurdist tableaux that treat the dogs as actors in constructed narratives. His practice extends into children's television and book illustration, maintaining a distinctive deadpan humor across media. The anthropomorphic staging and formal precision of his compositions have made his dog-centered work recognizable across fine art, popular culture, and commercial contexts.

Holyoke, MA, USA

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