Merg Ross
American, born 1941
Cracked Linoleum, Northumberland
INV-2066
Merg Ross
American, born 19411954
Cracked Linoleum, Northumberland
Merg Ross American, born 1941 →gelatin silver (developing-out-paper) prphotographic process
Date
1954
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
9.2 × 11.4 (image/paper); 17 × 19 cm (mount)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Aaron Siskind
The son of a San Francisco photographer, Merg Ross began making pictures as a child, honing his skills through infor-mal print viewings with a close family friend, the noted photographer Edward Weston. With a large-format cam-era, Ross composed closeup abstractions of abandoned machinery or ice formations. In 1959, having just finished high school, he planned a cross-country trip to visit var-ious photographers whom he admired. At the top of this list was Aaron Siskind in Chicago, known for painterly images of walls, and Ross was delighted when the photog-rapher generously welcomed him. In 1963 Hugh Edwards acquired four of Ross’s West Coast scenes; the following year, Siskind donated three additional abstract works, including this geometric depiction of cracked linoleum.
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