The 100 Day Project #9
After Irina
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art — Kansas City, Missouri, USA, 2013
The 100 Day Project, Day 9
The images that stay with me are those that hold tension between beauty and inquiry — images that hold something back and invite the viewer to pause long enough to seek the full story. My photograph, After Irina, does this for me.
A print of After Irina hangs in my bedroom where I see it daily, and it changes throughout the day as the light shifts around the room. Sometimes I find it stunningly beautiful and warm, other times haunting and distant.
For me, the print reads instantly as a feminine form. The soft downward angle of her shoulders grounds the figure while her thin neck lifts the viewer up and into the frame — the whole form at once still and in motion. The figure's head and face are obscured, transformed into blurred wave forms that are both poetic and insistent.
My research into Irina and Henry's relationship reveals a true love story of more than 60 years. She was his muse, confidant, and trusted critic. She also ran the business side of his artistic practice — coordinating exhibitions, managing correspondence, and handling finances — without which I wonder if he would have achieved the success that he did. Photographs of them show her most often in domestic settings. I have yet to find a portrait of her presented as an artist with works of her own.
One photograph made by Irving Penn in 1962 shows an artwork hanging behind them that I hope, but cannot confirm, is Irina's — and it is lovely. What could her career have looked like if she too had a wife to run the house and studio?
This image is part of my project Co-Authored — a collection of abstract photographs born from my discomfort with artistic appropriation. I embarked on pilgrimages to photograph artworks in some of the most inspiring museums around the world, resulting in a collection that is playful and mysterious, yet sophisticated and elegant. Because museums are largely filled with art made by men, I titled each artwork after the partner or spouse of the artist whose work I photographed — my way of giving voice to the unrecognized support systems that have made so many male artists' careers possible.
About the photo: After Irina
Irina Radetsky, wife and muse of sculptor Henry Moore, studied painting at the Royal College of Art in London after escaping Ukraine during a Russian invasion. She modeled for Moore and advised on his works. It was largely her coordination of exhibitions, correspondence, and finances that helped Moore become one of the most celebrated modernist sculptors of the 20th century.
Artist: Henry Moore
Artwork: Seated Woman (1957)
Location: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art — Kansas City, Missouri, USA
About the 100 Day Project: A global creative challenge where thousands of artists share a piece of their practice every single day for 100 days. I'm joining creatives around the world, and I'm excited to bring you along. Each day I'll be sharing one of my photos — some recent, some old, and some from my current project — along with the story behind it: where I was, who I was with, and why I love it.