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ERWIN BLUMENFELD (American, 1897-1969) PRIMAVERA "Lisette 1985" inscribed in ink on verso Erwin Blum

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:10,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD
ERWIN BLUMENFELD (American, 1897-1969) PRIMAVERA  Lisette 1985  inscribed in ink on verso Erwin Blum
ERWIN BLUMENFELD (American, 1897-1969) PRIMAVERA "Lisette 1985" inscribed in ink on verso Erwin Blumenfeld Estate stamp on verso "25 LB" inscribed in pencil on verso vintage gelatin silver print 91/2 x 1113/16 in. (24.1 x 30 cm) circa 1945 ESTIMATE: $10,000-15,000 PROVENANCE The Estate of Erwin Blumenfeld PPS, HAMBURG Erwin Blumenfeld was famous for his fashion photographs, specifically those of women. When photographing a female subject, his goal "was always to reveal some aspect of femininity or womanliness, lying beyond the outward form" (Ewing, BLUMENFELD PHOTOGRAPHS: A PASSION FOR BEAUTY, New York, 1996, p. 104). This example demonstrates his special technique for the creation of female portraits, perfecting the ultimate balance of light and shadow. The graphic, yet sculptural beauty of the photograph make this surreal portrait a complete visual experience. Lisette Blumenfeld, Erwin's daughter, was quite possibly the model for this photograph (see inscription). She was one of Erwin's first models in Amsterdam and an assistant in his studio until the early 1940s. She and her family were forced into concentration camps by the Nazis, events that are documented in the photographer's biography, EYE TO I, AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A PHOTOGRAPHER, New York, 1999. Primavera may represent an emergence from such a nightmarish experience. A sense of relief due to a new freedom is suggested, along with a tone of suffocation and concealment, conveyed by the branches that rest so closely to the model's face.