Bernard M. Baruch
Edward Steichen
American, born Luxembourg. 1879–1973
1932
A 1932 gelatin silver portrait by Edward Steichen in which the photographer sets out to render the authority and private wit of an older male subject rather than merely record his likeness.
What arrests you is the theatrical, low-key lighting—an almost luminous face and hand emerging from a field of deep shadow so that a sly expression reads like a carved gesture.
The image exemplifies Steichen’s use of chiaroscuro and psychological lighting that helped shift photographic portraiture toward modern studies of character and atmosphere, influencing 20th‑century editorial and artistic photography.
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
16 9/16 × 13 3/8" (42.1 × 34 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of the artist
Accession
193.1961
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
