Stairway, Coat and Person
This iconic black and white photograph by John Baldessari presents a surreal juxtaposition of two figures on a staircase. One figure is seen from the back, seemingly ascending, while another is depicted upside down, appearing to fall or hang from above, creating a disorienting visual narrative. The artwork exemplifies Baldessari's conceptual approach, challenging conventional perception and narrative structures through photographic manipulation.
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print
Notes
This piece might be titled "Man Running / Man Falling", created in 1988
More by John Baldessari
Collectors of John Baldessari
Also spotted by
Artists in conversation
Duane Michals
American · b. 1932
Michals creates sequential black and white photographic narratives that challenge conventional perception and storytelling, often incorporating surreal juxtapositions of figures in disorienting spatial relationships similar to this Baldessari staircase composition.
Jerry Uelsmann
American · b. 1934
Uelsmann's darkroom photographic manipulations produce surreal black and white imagery that subverts gravity and spatial logic, creating dreamlike compositions with figures in impossible or disorienting orientations that closely parallel this work's visual disruption.
Cindy Sherman
American · b. 1954
Sherman uses photographic staging and conceptual manipulation to challenge narrative structures and viewer perception, constructing carefully composed scenes that destabilize identity and conventional visual storytelling in ways directly aligned with this Baldessari piece.
Start the Discussion
Request access to join the discussion