Existing comment:
Untitled, from the series American Beauties
1990 Polaroid Polacolor ER Land Film
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of an anonymous donor
2017.32.8
The distinct look of the American Beauties series came about after a long day of shooting Western pictures at the 20x24 Polaroid Studio. Levinthal positioned a newly acquired pinup figure on a bed of sand leftover from his cowboy photos and removed the spray-painted Wild West background. He then photographed the solitary figure with dramatic lighting in a darkened studio. Levinthal loved the simplicity of the result and the sculptural quality of the tiny toys. The images are among the artist's most evocative and enigmatic -- nocturnal beach scenes where the world of childhood innocence intersects with the world of adult experience. |