Academic Exercise in Shading in which the Negative Proved to be Equally as Correct 1975

Robert Cumming's photograph, 'Academic Exercise in Shading in which the Negative Proved to be Equally as Correct', presents us with a blackboard drawing. It's a playful setup, like a classroom still life, rendered in monochrome shades. The drawing itself is a study in light and shadow, academic, but with a twist. Cumming captures not just the image but also the photographic negative. It makes you think about the process of image-making, the back-and-forth between positive and negative space, between seeing and perceiving. It is kind of like a painting process where you're constantly adjusting, negating, and redefining. Look closely at the surface of the blackboard, the rough texture of the chalk against the slate. The arrows indicating the light source, the meticulous shading of the sphere and cone – all these details speak to Cumming's conceptual rigor, but also to his sense of humor. I'm reminded of Vija Celmins, who similarly explores modes of representation, albeit with a totally different aesthetic. Both reveal how seeing is a form of making, and maybe even of questioning.