Galax, Virginia
Photograph
Galax, Virginia
1962
Gelatin silver print
Image: 7 3/8 × 11 1/16 in. (18.8 × 28.1 cm)
Overall: 11 × 13 15/16 in. (28 × 35.4 cm)
Purchase with funds from National Endowment for the Arts
1981.0303.0002
Inscriptions verso (rubberstamp): This photograph is not released for publication
or for commercial use of any kind. For permission communicate with
Lee Friedlander. 44 So. Mountain Road, New City, N.Y. 10956 (copyright
symbol) Lee Friedlander 1963
(pencil): [signed] Lee Friedlander
Galax 1962 1-10 63
or for commercial use of any kind. For permission communicate with
Lee Friedlander. 44 So. Mountain Road, New City, N.Y. 10956 (copyright
symbol) Lee Friedlander 1963
(pencil): [signed] Lee Friedlander
Galax 1962 1-10 63
TextIn the early 1960s, as he was creating the photographs that would eventually comprise his famous Self-Portraits (published as a book in 1970), Lee Friedlander produced a smaller body of work depicting television screens. These “Little Screens,” as the body of work has come to be called, cast their hypnotic glow from the corners of hotel rooms, in front of living room walls, or on top of bedroom dressers, as here. The contrast between the mundane, yet intimate, space and the beckoning broadcasted image creates a dramatic irony that speaks volumes about the relationship between American culture and personal estrangement. In capturing this complex social landscape with characteristic visual wit, photographs like this demonstrate why Friedlander’s work became a touchstone for younger generations of photographers who continue to make their mark on today’s visual culture.
Lisa Hostetler, Ph.D.
Curator in Charge, Department of Photography
Label for A History of Photography [Rotation 1]
May 9–September 28, 2014
Lisa Hostetler, Ph.D.
Curator in Charge, Department of Photography
Label for A History of Photography [Rotation 1]
May 9–September 28, 2014
