Paul Outerbridge Jr. was in the vanguard of both the art and the science of photography. A native of New York City, Outerbridge enrolled in the Art Students League and, later, the Clarence H. White School of Photography. At the White School, Outerbridge devoted himself to photographic technique and was still a student when he produced what are now regarded as some of the most innovative photographs of his career. Notwithstanding his achievements with the camera, Outerbridge explored other media as well, and, beginning in 1922, he studied sculpture under the guidance of noted modernist Alexander Archipenko (1887-1964). Three years later, Outerbridge went to Paris and gained a reputation as a talented photographic designer and director. Included among his associates were such noted photographers and artists as Berenice Abbott (1898-1991), Man Ray (q.v.), and Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968).

Back in New York by 1929, Outerbridge divided his time between drawing and photography. Fascinated by the possibilities of color photography, he began to work with the tri-color carbro process, a notoriously difficult and expensive technique. The resulting images were remarkably vivid and tactile, and to heighten the impact of his work, Outerbridge turned to the nude figure as his chief subject during the 1930s and early 1940s. The lushness of the photographs combined with Outerbridge's preference for sexually suggestive poses inevitably led to controversy. After moving from New York to Southern California during World War II, Outerbridge gradually left photography to pursue other ventures, including writing a regular column for US Camera. Outerbridge died of cancer in Laguna Beach, California, in 1958.

Dating to about 1925, the Currier's Untitled not only exhibits Outerbridge's formal sensibilities but also his keen understanding of photography's uniqueness as a medium. In this image, five engraved-glass goblets rest on a lacy tablecloth. Set on a black surface against a dark backdrop, the subject is painstakingly composed and balanced. The glass and lace, although made of vastly different materials, appear organically connected in part due to Outerbridge's careful matching of decorative surface patterns: the undulating border of the tablecloth echoes the twisted stems of the goblets, while floral motifs and ornamental swags abound in both. Seen as a whole, the arrangement takes on a new and enigmatic quality that separates the photographed objects from their usual associations of eating and drinking.

Outerbridge's compositional strategy compels the viewer to look more closely at the subject. Turning to the peculiar power of photography to record detail and capture nuances of light, the artist revels in the texture of the lace and the play of reflections on cut, blown, and twisted glass. As with his later tri-color carbro photographs, the effect here is one of extraordinary tactility and sensual richness. By exploiting the sense of verisimilitude achievable only through photography, Outerbridge makes it possible for the viewer to experience vicariously the physicality of his subject.

Untitled was purchased by the Currier Museum of Art in 1984.

VSD

REFERENCES

Graham Howe and Jacqueline Markham. Paul Outerbridge Jr: Photographs. Edited by Graham Howe and G. Ray Hawkins. New York: Rizzoli, 1980.

Lee Fontanella, "Outerbridge, Paul (Everard)." In Jane Turner, ed., Dictionary of Art. 34 vols. New York: Grove, 1996. Vol. 23, pp. 669-670.