Martha Graham - Letter to the World, Barbara Morgan

Episode 253 Feb-2005 (Episode 20), revised Jan-2012, Brett Knappe I’m David Cateforis with another Art Minute from the Spencer Museum of Art. An iconic image in the Spencer collection is Martha Graham-Letter to the World, a black-and-white photograph by Barbara Morgan. Morgan was born in Buffalo, Kansas, in 1900, but grew up in California and later settled in New York City. She began her career as a painter and a printmaker, then turned to photography in the 1930s, making her reputation with images of modern-dance pioneer Martha Graham. Morgan sought to capture the power and beauty of Graham’s performances by choosing isolated movements that encapsulated the meaning of the particular dance. The Spencer’s 1940 photograph depicts a singular gesture from Letter to the World, a dance Graham based on the life of poet Emily Dickinson. In Morgan’s photograph, Graham twirls on her right foot while extending her left leg and thrusting her right arm high into the air. As Graham’s torso spins and her pure white dress billows, the viewer may sense the inner turmoil of the young Dickinson, or perhaps be reminded of a delicate white flower, its petals fluttering in the wind. Either way, Morgan’s photograph of Graham’s dance is simultaneously meaningful and picturesque. With thanks to Brett Knappe for his text, from the Spencer Museum of Art, I’m David Cateforis.