Mirror on the Coastline

Description

In Mirror on the Coastline, Bea Nettles layers the reflection of mauve flowers in a mirror over an idyllic scene of crashing waves, referencing her upbringing in coastal Florida. She made the picture using Kwik Print, a commercial process that uses vinyl sheets coated with light-sensitive dyes. Nettles was an early adopter of this technology, which was an updated version of an antiquated process. The technique allows color to be applied in layers, giving this photograph a hazy, ethereal quality.

Mirror on the Coastline

Bea Nettles

1976

Accession Number

269807

Medium

Gum bichromate print [Kwik print]

Dimensions

38.1 × 45.8 cm (15 × 18 in.)

Classification

photography

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Gift of the artist