197

Clarence John Laughlin

1905-1985

The Language of Light, from the Mystery of Space series. 1952; printed 1973.

Silver print
With Laughlin's signature, title, and negative date in white pencil on mount recto, and his New Orleans copyright stamp on mount verso.
The image 10 3/8 x 13 1/2 in. (26.4 x 34.3 cm.), the mount 14 x 17 1/8 in. (35.6 x 43.5 cm.)

  • Literature:
    John Szarkowski, Looking at Photographs, 100 pictures from the Collection of the Museum of Modern Art, The Museum of Modern Art, New York (1973)
  • Notes:
    The work is accompanied by a typed label that identifies the print as print number 3, with the negative and print dates as well as the negative number 7731 and the following quote: "What we see in this picture is sunlight falling through a torn, and carefully adjusted, window shade and curtain, onto an old wire screen. But space multiplies, and the light forms begin to exist independently of the objects which helped create them. This is not only an example of how space can be expanded by the camera, but also of the translation of the concrete into the abstract, and finally, of the pure magic of light itself." John Szarkowski
  • Condition: For condition reports, email Deborah Rogal at [email protected]

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October 16, 2025 10:30 AM EDT
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