Night Icicle
Minor White
American, 1908–1976
1959
A gelatin silver photograph in which Minor White isolates a pair of icicles and their luminous reflections to transform a simple winter detail into an abstract, contemplative image.
Two dark, vertical icicle forms slice down through a glowing circular field of frost so that a pinpoint sunburst and gritty, crystalline textures make the photograph read like a high‑contrast, mysterious emblem rather than a literal scene.
By treating an ordinary natural fragment as a visual 'equivalent' for inner states, White helped expand mid‑century American photography from straightforward documentation into a mode of symbolic, spiritual expression that influenced later generations of photographers.
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
12 7/16 × 9 3/16" (31.6 × 23.4 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Purchase
Accession
132.1967
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
