Plate Number 97. Turning to ascend stairs, with a pitcher and a goblet in hands 1887

Eadweard Muybridge created this photographic study, “Plate Number 97. Turning to ascend stairs, with a pitcher and a goblet in hands,” using multiple cameras to capture movement in discrete frames. The composition is structured as a grid, with each photograph capturing a slightly different phase of the woman's movement. The stark, contrasting tones of the figure against the plain backdrop reduce visual complexity to its purest form. Muybridge’s focus is on the analytical breakdown of movement, divorcing it from narrative or emotional context. This work challenges traditional artistic representations, which often relied on static poses or idealized forms, by capturing movement with a scientific precision, influencing not only art but also the burgeoning field of motion studies. The photograph, in its structural clarity, serves as a discourse on the nature of perception and the possibilities of representation, highlighting a shift in focus from art as representation to art as investigation.