PHOTOGRAPHS
McMillan, Jerry
U.S. (1939 - )
Untitled (Square)
1977
Gelatin silver print on Agfa paper
19 7/8 x 16 1/16 in. (50.5 x 40.8 cm) image and sheet size
Monsen Study Collection of Photography, gift of Joseph and Elaine Monsen
FA 81.25

McMillan considered this work to be a breakthrough in his exploration of abstraction. He wanted to release the photographic image from illusion. According to the artist, “these photographs started with the same premise that all paintings start with; they are made from nothing. But they have characteristics of painting, sculpture, and photography. For the first time, I could make photographs with a camera that you could not recognize as photographs.” -- Label copy for Material and Document: Experiments in Photography during the 1970s, November 4, 2011, to February 4, 2012.