About the Object
At first glance, this photograph reads as an abstract, jagged composition of alternating areas of black and white, the result of a sign (or signs) that has been ripped to reveal layers of further torn signs beneath. But closer inspection reveals a face and text hidden in plain sight. This image is the basis for the large-scale painting Torn Signs (VF2015.05.06), which Crawford began eight years after taking this photograph.
Additional Information
Two related photographs, both also entitled Torn Signs (VF2018.03.02) and (VF2018.03.03), feature this same man, who has been literally defaced. Each photograph was printed from a different negative. Crawford moved along the wall as he photographed it, cropping the images on the spot rather than later in the darkroom.
The Artist;
By descent to the Artist’s son, John C. Crawford, Brooklyn, NY;
Jan T. and Marica Vilcek Collection, New York, NY, 2015;
Corpus Christi, TX. The Art Museum of South Texas. Masterpieces of American Modernism from the Vilcek Collection of American Art. September 13, 2018-January 6, 2019.
New York, NY. Vilcek Foundation. Ralston Crawford: Torn Signs. May 13-November 13, 2019, pp. 27, 32, 60-63, 66, 68, 117, 122, ill. pp. 30, 41, 61.
St. Peter, MN. The Hillstrom Museum of Art. Ralston Crawford: Torn Signs. September 12-November 6, 2022.