Magnolia

Inscriptions

Signed, on mat, in graphite, lower right: Ann PARKER; inscribed, on mat, in graphite, lower left: Magnolia, April 28, 1998 . 1/3; signed and incribed, on reverse, in graphite, lower center: Magnolia (state 4) / April 28, 1998 / 1/3 / Ann PARKER

Label

Closely observed and presented in total isolation, this photogram echoes longstanding naturalist art traditions. Yet its grand scale and unconventional translucency give it an ethereal quality that evokes mystery, perhaps even suggesting transformation into another state. This effect likely inspired Ann Parker to refer to her floral photograms as Botanical Metamorphics. To produce these delicate images, she placed the blossoms on a polyester-coated photosensitive paper used for color photography. When exposed to light, the sheet remained white and partially visible through the thin petals.

Does the scale of this blossom affect your response to this image? If so, how?

From the 2022 exhibition This Land: American Engagement with the Natural World, curated by Jami C. Powell, Curator of Indigenous Art; Barbara J. MacAdam, former Jonathan L. Cohen Curator of American Art; Thomas H. Price, former Curatorial Assistant; Morgan E. Freeman, former DAMLI Native American Art Fellow; and Michael Hartman, Jonathan Little Cohen Associate Curator of American Art

Course History

ANTH 7.05, Animals and Humans, Laura Ogden, Winter 2022

GEOG 31.01, Postcolonial Geographies, Erin Collins, Winter 2022

ANTH 50.05, Environmental Archaeology, Madeleine McLeester, Winter 2022

ANTH 50.05, Environmental Archaeology, Madeleine McLeester, Winter 2022

ARTH 5.01, Introduction to Contemporary Art, Mary Coffey and Chad Elias, Winter 2022

ANTH 3.01, Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, Chelsey Kivland, Summer 2022

ANTH 3.01, Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, Chelsey Kivland, Summer 2022

SPAN 65.15, Wonderstruck: Archives and the Production of Knowledge in an Unequal World, Silvia Spitta and Barbara Goebel, Summer 2022

Exhibition History

This Land: American Engagement with the Natural World, Israel Sack Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, April 12 - July 22, 2022.

Provenance

The artist, North Brookfield, Massachusetts; sold to present collection, 1999.

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Subjects