Yasuo Kuniyoshi

Date

1941

Creator

Arnold Newman photographed Kuniyoshi in the painter's 14th Street studio on September 6, 1941. This is the best known of several images from a session in which the artist is surrounded by pieces from his collection of American folk art. Kuniyoshi reclines on a camelback settee, leaning on his elbow in a relaxed posture that is emphatically American in its casual confidence. The pose follows the undulous contour of the settee, a 19th-century form, like the antique candlestand. The ascending angle of the sofa back leads up to the left of the image, to crest at the artist's thoughtful expression and his glance outside the frame. Kuniyoshi is nattily dressed in his normal garb of the day: a coat and tie, sweater and penny loafers. Careful observation of the portrait also reveals the details of an old New York apartment: a baseboard plumbing valve and a light switch cord weighted with an old hinge. To capture this detailed atmosphere, Newman used a large-format camera and tripod, which required long exposures to keep both subject and background in sharp focus. His sitters had to remain motionless for several seconds, sacrificing a momentary expression for a settled one. from Acton, A History of Photography at the University of Notre Dame: Twentieth Century (Notre Dame, 2019)