Philadelphia (1983 GF-13)
Maker
Ray K. Metzker
(American, 1931-2014)
Date1983, printed circa 1985
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 9 5/8 × 9 1/4 in. (24.4 × 23.5 cm)
Sheet: 14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)
Matted: 18 × 18 in. (45.7 × 45.7 cm)
Sheet: 14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)
Matted: 18 × 18 in. (45.7 × 45.7 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Estate of Lester and Betty Guttman
Collections
Object number2014.566
Status
Not on viewA graduate of the Chicago Institute of Design (1959), Ray K. Metzker’s practice is marked by a sustained investigation into photographic qualities, especially light. In the City Whispers series, light—and its absence—forms the subject of the photographs more so than the cities that are rendered unfamiliar: Chicago, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. In this image, shadows dominate the city, charging the contrast-laden photograph with a weight that gives way to a moody, brooding sense of imminent change that many have described as “noir.” Segmented into light and shadow, the street and its occupants are divided.
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