Lynn Saville
American, born 1950
Completed in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge became an instant icon of American architecture and engineering, and there is much to see in this photograph of the bridge at night. The limited night light tends to draw viewers in, to encourage close looking, to reveal things not seen in brighter light. The absence of people in the picture and the fact that the lighting illuminates a clean and neat space instills confidence in the viewer, a vicarious visitor to this relatively remote place in the midst of one of the world’s largest cities. The clarity and the large scale of the photograph plus the rich black tones of the night sky evoke the special character of this place, one of many scenes in the “city that never sleeps” that we see more clearly through photographer Lynn Saville’s nocturnal lens. Saville, a native of North Carolina who now lives in New York City, has been making photographs at night for many years and eschews flash photography, relying instead on ambient light from illuminated signs, automobile headlights, street lights, and light escaping from building interiors.
American, born 1950
Brooklyn Bridge
1995
Object Type:
Photograph
Dimensions:
21 1/4 in. x 16 1/4 in. (53.98 cm x 41.28 cm)
Medium and Support:
Gelatin silver print on paper
Accession Number:
2008.0012.0001
Credit Line:
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Association Purchase
Copyright:
© Lynn Saville
Completed in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge became an instant icon of American architecture and engineering, and there is much to see in this photograph of the bridge at night. The limited night light tends to draw viewers in, to encourage close looking, to reveal things not seen in brighter light. The absence of people in the picture and the fact that the lighting illuminates a clean and neat space instills confidence in the viewer, a vicarious visitor to this relatively remote place in the midst of one of the world’s largest cities. The clarity and the large scale of the photograph plus the rich black tones of the night sky evoke the special character of this place, one of many scenes in the “city that never sleeps” that we see more clearly through photographer Lynn Saville’s nocturnal lens. Saville, a native of North Carolina who now lives in New York City, has been making photographs at night for many years and eschews flash photography, relying instead on ambient light from illuminated signs, automobile headlights, street lights, and light escaping from building interiors.
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