In El eclipse (1933), Álvarez Bravo achieved a dynamic geometry of crisscrossing diagonals. Standing on a shallow corner of a rooftop, a woman is partially concealed by sheets bleaching in the sun and by her dark rebozo, which she presumably holds in front of her face to look at an eclipse. His carefully composed images reveal his modern sense of aesthetics. | text Blanton Museum of Art Collections

mulating the pose of a Flamenco dancer, this woman dramatically turns her head sideways and upwards, while extending one arm high up in the air. Holding a black, sheer cloth over her face and shielding her eyes from the strong Mexican sun, she enacts Manuel Alvarez Bravo’s conception of an eclipse.
At the same time, light bounces off the hanging white sheets, saturating the off-center areas of the photograph.

Alvarez Bravo made many images of linens and clotheslines, exploring the interplay between draped fabric and angular architecture. Here, the addition of a figure, seemingly engaged in a performance, adds mystery and animation to an otherwise formal study. | text: Getty museum