Edward Weston

Executed in 1930, printed later by Cole Weston. 

Cole Weston, Monterey, 1980
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Merle Armitage, Art of Edward Weston, Aperture, New York, 1932, p. 5
Amy Conger, Edward Weston: Photographs from the Collection of the Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona, University of Arizona, Tucson, 1992, pl. 606
Nancy Newhall, The Flame of Recognition: Edward Weston, Aperture, New York, 1997, p. 35
Nancy Newhall, The Daybooks of Edward Weston, Volume II, California, Aperture, New York, 1973, cover and pl. 5
Beaumont Newhall, Supreme Instants: The Photography of Edward Weston, Bulfinch, New York, 1986, cat. no. 150
On the Art of Fixing a Shadow: 150 Years of Photography, Bulfinch, New York, 1989, pl. 259
Gilles Mora, Edward Weston: Forms of Passion, H. N. Abrams, New York, 1995, p. 171
Theodore E. Stebbins, Jr., Edward Weston: Photography and Modernism, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1999, frontispiece and pl. 38
Keith Davis, An American Century of Photograph, H. N. Abrams, New York, 1999. pl. 207
Sarah M. Lowe, Dody Weston Thompson, et al., Edward Weston: Life Work; Photographs from the Collection of Judith G. Hochberg and Michael P. Mattis, Lodima, Revere, 2003, pl. 43
Mark Haworth-Booth, The Folio Society Book of the 100 Greatest Photographs, Folio Society, London, 2006, p. 115
Photographie des 20. Jahrhunderts, Cologne, 2016, p. 131

This work is in overall excellent condition. There are no apparent condition issues with the work. The mount is slightly age-darkened along the periphery on the front and reverse. Framed under Plexiglas.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The photograph offered here, Weston's iconic Pepper (No. 30), is from a series of thirty pepper studies made by the photographer over an intensive four days in the summer of 1930. Pepper (No. 30) was immediately one of Weston's favorite and most sought-after pepper studies. For Weston, this photograph represented a definitive step forward in the evolution of his work.

Weston describes this series in the 8 August 1930 entry in his Daybooks : "It is a classic, completely satisfying, – a pepper – but more than a pepper: abstract, in that it is completely outside subject matter. It has no psychological attributes, no human emotions are aroused: this new pepper takes one beyond the world we know in the conscious mind. . . . My recent work more than ever indicates my future" (Nancy Newhall, ed. The Daybooks of Edward Weston, Volume II. NY: Horizon Press California, p. 181).

Unlike the pepper studies of 1929, Pepper (No. 30) and others made during the summer of 1930 fill the 8x10-inch negative nearly to the point of abstraction. Weston captures the details of the undulating bell pepper, with its curves, smooth skin, and hint of decay, with brilliant clarity. Whereas previous peppers had been placed on a plinth, against burlap, or in bowls, Weston placed these new peppers in a tin funnel, which provided not only a curving, undefinable background, but also refracted lighting.