Bandolier, corn, guitar by Tina Modotti (1927)

The photograph titled “Bandolier, corn, guitar” is a black and white image captured by the artist Tina Modotti in the year 1927. In this image, you see a striking composition featuring a guitar, an ear of corn, and what appears to be a bandolier. The guitar, with its fretboard visible, tilts from the upper left corner of the frame towards the bottom right, bisecting the image. The ear of corn is positioned next to the lower part of the guitar’s fretboard, with its plump kernels tightly packed together, creating a textural contrast with the smooth frets. Adjacent to the corn is the bandolier, its bullets orderly aligned parallel to the strings of the guitar, which adds a repetition of form and yet another textural element to the photograph. The lighting casts shadows, emphasizing the shapes and contours of these items and contributing to the overall dramatic and symbolic effect. The photograph can be seen to juxtapose elements of Mexican culture and revolution, with the guitar symbolizing art and music, the corn as a staple of Mexican cuisine and life, and the bandolier representing conflict or revolution.

Other Photographs from Tina Modotti

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