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Parábola óptica [Optical Parable], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974
Parábola óptica [Optical Parable], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974

Parábola óptica [Optical Parable], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974

Primary (Mexico City, Mexico, 1902–2002)
Printer
NationalityMexican, North America
Date1931
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsSheet: 9 3/8 × 7 1/8 in. (23.8 × 18.1 cm)
Additional Dimension: 19 13/16 × 14 3/4 in. (50.3 × 37.5 cm)
Credit LineBlanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Archer M. Huntington Museum Fund, P1975.18.1
Rights Statement
Collection AreaLatin American Art
Object numberP1975.18.1/15
On View
Not on view
Label Text
Manuel Álvarez Bravo captured images of everyday life in Mexico City with a keen eye for the ironic and the uncanny. "Parábola óptica" (1931) shows an optician’s storefront, where modern advertisements give us an unsettling sense of being watched. Álvarez Bravo heightened the surreal quality of the photograph by printing it backwards. His carefully composed images reveal his modern sense of aesthetics.
Exhibitions
El sistema nervioso del gran simpático [Greater Sympathetic Nervous System], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, printed 1974
El sistema nervioso del gran simpático [Greater Sympathetic Nervous System], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, printed 1974
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1929
El ensueño [The Daydream], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974
El ensueño [The Daydream], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1931
La de las Bellas Artes [She of the Fine Arts], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974
La de las Bellas Artes [She of the Fine Arts], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1933
Tumba reciente [Fresh Grave], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, printed 1974
Tumba reciente [Fresh Grave], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, printed 1974
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1933
Sed pública [Public Thirst], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974
Sed pública [Public Thirst], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1934
Obrero en huelga, asesinado [Striking Worker, Murdered], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974
Obrero en huelga, asesinado [Striking Worker, Murdered], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1934
La buena fama durmiendo [Good Reputation Sleeping], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, printed 1974
La buena fama durmiendo [Good Reputation Sleeping], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, printed 1974
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1939
Un poco alegre y graciosa [Somewhat Gay and Graceful], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974
Un poco alegre y graciosa [Somewhat Gay and Graceful], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1942
Paisaje inventado [Invented Landscape], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974
Paisaje inventado [Invented Landscape], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1974
Trampa puesta [Set Trap], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974
Trampa puesta [Set Trap], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
circa 1930s
El eclipse or Sábanas [Sheets], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974
El eclipse or Sábanas [Sheets], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1933
Los agachados [The Crouched Ones], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974
Los agachados [The Crouched Ones], from Fifteen Photographs by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1974
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1934