Max after surfing
(1939); printed (1998)
Medium
gelatin silver photograph
Measurements
26.0 × 19.7 cm (image) 32.5 × 26.1 cm (sheet)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased through The Art Foundation of Victoria with the assistance of Optus Communications Pty Limited, Member, 1998
© The estate of Olive Cotton
Gallery location
Special Exhibitions Gallery
Ground Level, NGV International
About this work
Here Olive Cotton shows Australian photographer Max Dupain with his face and one arm largely hidden in shadow, while his bare torso, other arm and crumpled shirt are exposed to the light. As in many of Cotton’s photographs, the play of light and shadow are crucial in transforming the body into an abstract combination of curved and angled patterns and forms. Still and intimate, this image captures a moment of transition: Cotton and Dupain were in a relationship when the photograph was taken in 1939, and were married later that year. Cotton was the assistant in Dupain’s Sydney studio before eventually running it.
Artwork Details
Inscription
inscribed in pencil l.r.: Olive Cotton
inscribed in pencil on reverse u.c.: Max After Surfing / 16/97
Accession Number
1998.251
Department
Australian Photography
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Professor AGL Shaw AO Bequest