[Ruthsspiecher Tanks]
"The essence of photomontage," César Domela explained in an exhibition he organized about the technique, is that its cut-up compositions allow "the expression not only of real objects (as with a simple photograph), but also, and above all, ideas." The Dutch painter only took up montage out of financial necessity, but such commercial work, created in association with the experimental Ring of New Advertising Designers, would come to define his career. This study illustrated a corporate prospectus on steam storage tanks, making a visual case for their industrial efficiency. Domela’s exhilarating montage is itself maximally efficient, showing an instantaneous view of the tanks from all angles at once. Seeming to nudge their noses beyond the frame, they will their way into production.
Artwork Details
- Title: [Ruthsspiecher Tanks]
- Artist: César Domela (Dutch, 1900–1992)
- Date: 1928
- Medium: Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions: 19.3 x 16.6 cm (7 5/8 x 6 9/16 in.)
Frame: 17 x 14 in. - Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Ford Motor Company Collection, Gift of Ford Motor Company and John C. Waddell, 1987
- Object Number: 1987.1100.104
- Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
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