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Frederick Sommer — The Milky Way
Frederick Sommer

The Milky Way

Frederick Sommer's *The Milky Way* is a mesmerizing gelatin silver print that blurs the boundary between the cosmic and the abstract, presenting a swirling cascade of light and shadow that evokes the vast, luminous expanse of a galaxy. Likely printed in the 1970s, Sommer's meticulous darkroom technique transforms the photographic surface into a richly textured field of tonal gradations, inviting the viewer to contemplate the infinite. The work reflects Sommer's lifelong fascination with chance, order, and the hidden structures underlying the natural world.

Medium
Gelatin silver print, probably printed in the 1970s.

🔨 Auction Lot

Photographs

October 4, 2018

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About this work

Frederick Sommer, The Milky Way

Frederick Sommer's *The Milky Way* is a mesmerizing gelatin silver print that blurs the boundary between the cosmic and the abstract, presenting a swirling cascade of light and shadow that evokes the vast, luminous expanse of a galaxy. Likely printed in the 1970s, Sommer's meticulous darkroom technique transforms the photographic surface into a richly textured field of tonal gradations, inviting the viewer to contemplate the infinite. The work reflects Sommer's lifelong fascination with chance, order, and the hidden structures underlying the natural world.

Medium
Gelatin silver print, probably printed in the 1970s.
Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

20th-Century Art, Surrealist Photography, Cosmic Subject Matter, Male Artist, Modernist, Gelatin Silver Print, American Photographer, Monochromatic, Experimental Photography, Abstract Imagery, Avant-Garde Photography

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