Solomon Benediktovich Telingater

photomontage with red and white gouache, drawing in pencil and ink on the reverse, framed, the Buhl Collection and Galerie Gmurzynska, Cologne, labels on the reverse, 1930s

The estate of the artist

Nathalie Karg, Ltd., New York, 2000

This photomontage consists of a single photograph – of workers with hands raised – laid down onto heavy drawing paper. The areas directly around the raised hands have been outlined in white gouache, to make them stand out in greater relief from the background. The large numbers are rendered in red gouache; faint penciled guide lines can be seen beneath the pigment. As a whole, the work exemplifies Constructivist concepts of composition, in which image and typography coalesce dynamically into a unified design. The photograph is on single-weight paper with a glossy surface. Original retouching can be seen when the print is examined in raking light, as well as a number of unobtrusive wrinkles and creases. The edges of the entire sheet are somewhat worn, and the corners somewhat rounded. Generally, these issues do not detract from the pleasing appearance of the whole.
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