Harry Callahan
, American, 1912-1999
Title
Ireland, 1979Date1979
MediumDye transfer print
Dimensions
Image: 24.1 × 37.1 cm
Credit LinePurchased, 2021
Object numberNGI.2021.115
DescriptionIreland, 1979 is a prime example of Harry Callahan’s interest in extracting the extraordinary in what would typically be defined as mundane. Here, one is presented with a view of two rows of houses separated by a strip of asphalt: quite ordinary when viewed in relation to subject matter only. But one is immediately struck by several punches of colour that offset the overcast sky and charcoal grey of the road. The turquoise house on the left draws the viewer into the picture space and guides them down the street, where they witness a series of pastel-coloured terraced houses and pause to take in the fiery scarlet red of one particular residence on the right. This home acts as a comma or break in a line of sombre-toned buildings. Callahan’s greatest power as a photographer is to prompt the viewer to feel as though they are part of the scene before them, and he achieves this rather brilliantly in this artwork by making it seem as though the turquoise house and road stretch out of the picture plane and into the space occupied by the viewer. Thus, the viewer is positioned on that very road and becomes part of the narrative of the image. Ireland, 1979 highlights Callahan’s interest in geometry and form and hints at his move to abstraction in the later part of his career. The inclusion of the power lines stretched across the road and houses is not unintentional as they mimic the varying lines and angles of the buildings, doorways, windows and roofs that lay below. Moreover, Ireland, 1979 speaks to a common practice of his to begin a day of shooting very early in the morning in order to capture the streets that he was roaming free of people and vehicles.
ProvenanceFrom the artist to Private Collection, USA (associated with Light Gallery), in 1980; Private Collection, USA; with Kicken Berlin; Purchased, 2021