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Manuel Álvarez Bravo — Parábola Óptica (Optical Parable), Mexico
Manuel Álvarez Bravo

Parábola Óptica (Optical Parable), Mexico

A street-level shop window display reflects and layers competing imagery, creating a meditation on vision, illusion, and the act of seeing itself. Manuel Álvarez Bravo's masterful composition blurs the boundary between interior and exterior, merging reflections, signage, and objects into a dreamlike visual puzzle. The gelatin silver print exemplifies his poetic approach to surrealism, rooted deeply in the everyday textures of Mexican life.

Medium
Gelatin silver print, printed later.

🔨 Auction Lot

Photographs

April 4, 2017

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About this work

Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Parábola Óptica (Optical Parable), Mexico

A street-level shop window display reflects and layers competing imagery, creating a meditation on vision, illusion, and the act of seeing itself. Manuel Álvarez Bravo's masterful composition blurs the boundary between interior and exterior, merging reflections, signage, and objects into a dreamlike visual puzzle. The gelatin silver print exemplifies his poetic approach to surrealism, rooted deeply in the everyday textures of Mexican life.

Medium
Gelatin silver print, printed later.
Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

Surrealism, 20th Century, Contemplative Mood, Mexican Artist, Male Artist, Gelatin Silver Print, Latin American Art, Symbolic Imagery, Street Photography, Master Photographer, Black and White

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