1953
Pleasures and Terrors of Levitation 37
Aaron SiskindAmerican, 1903 - 1991
Siskind reveled in the ambiguity of the photographs he produced for the series Pleasures and Terrors of Levitation. To make the images, he photographed men mid-dive on the shore of Lake Michigan, freezing their contorted postures in midair and giving the appearance of suspension in a large, blank expanse. Whether the figures are floating, flying, or falling is unclear, left for the viewer to contemplate.
The size of this print—one of the largest Siskind produced—only heightens the tension of its subject.
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