Front / Recto

  • Title N²ATUR + T²ECHNIK + K²UNST = √-1 = i
  • Negative Date 1924
  • Print Date 1924
  • Medium Gelatin silver print with black ink
  • Dimensions Image 6 1/4 × 4 7/16" (15.8 × 11.2 cm)
  • Place Taken Moscow
  • Credit Line Thomas Walther Collection. Gift of Shirley C. Burden, by exchange
  • MoMA Accession Number 1762.2001
  • Copyright © 2015 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn

Back / Verso

  • Mount Type No mount
  • Marks and Inscriptions Inscribed in black ink on sheet recto, bottom right: N²ATUR + T²ECHNIK + K²UNST = √-1 = i. Signed in black ink on sheet recto, bottom right: El.
  • Provenance The artist, Moscow/Hannover; to Kate Steinitz (1889–1975), Hannover/Los Angeles [1]; to L.A. Louver Gallery (Peter and Elizabeth Goulds), Los Angeles [2]; to Galerie Folker Skulima, Berlin [3]; purchased by Thomas Walther, May 22, 1986 [4]; purchased by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2001.
    [1] MacGill/Walther 2001(3), p. 13.
    [2] Ibid.
    [3] Ibid.
    [4] Galerie Folker Skulima invoice, May 22, 1986.

Surface

  • Surface Sheen Semireflective
  • Techniques Contact print
    Double exposure
    Photogram
  • PTM
    Detail view of the recto of the artwork made using reflectance transformation imaging (RTI) software, which exaggerates subtle surface details and renders the features of the artwork plainly visible. Department of Conservation, MoMA
  • Micro-raking
    Raking-light close-up image, as shot. Area of detail is 6.7 x 6.7 mm. Department of Conservation, MoMA
    Raking-light close-up image, processed. Processing included removal of color, equalization of the histogram, and sharpening, all designed to enhance visual comparison. Department of Conservation, MoMA

Paper Material

  • Format Metric
  • UV Fluorescence Recto negative
    Verso negative
  • Fiber Analysis No fiber data available
  • Material Techniques Printing-out paper
  • XRF

    This work was determined to be a gelatin silver print via X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry.

    The following elements have been positively identified in the work, through XRF readings taken from its recto and verso (or from the mount, where the verso was not accessible):

    • Recto: S, Ca, Zn, Sr, Ag, Ba, Au, Pb
    • Verso or mount: not available

    The graphs below show XRF spectra for three areas on the print: two of the recto—from areas of maximum and minimum image density (Dmax and Dmin)—and one of the verso or mount. The background spectrum represents the contribution of the XRF instrument itself. The first graph shows elements identified through the presence of their characteristic peaks in the lower energy range (0 to 8 keV). The second graph shows elements identified through the presence of their characteristic peaks in the higher energy range (8 to 40 keV).

    Areas examined: Recto (Dmax: black; Dmin: green), Background (red)
    Elements identified: S, Ca, Ag, Ba, Au
    Areas examined: Recto (Dmax: black; Dmin: green), Background (red)
    Elements identified: Zn, Sr, Ag, Au, Pb

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