Skip to main content
Advanced Search
A black and white photograph of a woman sitting in partial shadow, holding a mirror and comb.
Retrato de lo Eterno
A black and white photograph of a woman sitting in partial shadow, holding a mirror and comb.
A black and white photograph of a woman sitting in partial shadow, holding a mirror and comb.
Retrato de lo Eterno, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, 1932-1933, gelatin silver print, Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, Georgia, © Colette Urbajtel.

Retrato de lo Eterno

Artist (Mexican, 1902 - 2002)
Date1932 - 1933
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 10 × 8 inches (25.4 × 20.3 cm)
Sheet: 10 × 8 inches (25.4 × 20.3 cm)
Matted: 17 × 14 inches (43.2 × 35.6 cm)
Portfolio/Series"Photographs by Manuel Alvarez-Bravo" portfolio
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Oxnard Jr.
Object number2004.13.3.15
On View
Not on view
Copyright© Colette Urbajtel. The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextBuying his first camera in his early 20s, Manuel Álvarez Bravo taught himself the craft by studying photography journals and photographing the streets of Mexico City. In 1927, the Italian artist Tina Modotti introduced him to an influential circle of Mexican artists that included Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and Frida Kahlo, who championed his work. Formally, Retrato de lo Eterno shows a young woman, Isabel Villaseñor, seated on the floor in a dark room gazing into a mirror as she brushes her long black hair. Sunlight rakes across her face from the adjacent window. A famed artist, poet, singer, and songwriter, Villaseñor modeled for Álvarez in several of his photographs after meeting him on the set of ¡Qué viva México!, an unfinished film by Russian avant-garde director Sergei Eisenstein.
Collections
A black and white photograph of a dog sleeping under a wooden gate.
Los Perros durmiendo ladran
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1966
A black and white photograph of a piece of embroidered fabric with an angel and animals in addi…
Votos
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1969
A black and white photograph of a woman holding a cloth over her head while peering over the to…
Caja de Visiones
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
c. 1930s
A black and white photograph of a tent covered with the shadow of the tree on the left.
Luz Restirada
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1944
A black and white photograph of two women walking passed a corrugated wall with a large cast sh…
Dos Mujeres y la Gran Cortina con Sombras
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1977
A black and white photograph of an aerial view of vegetation or crops in a grid pattern.
Paisaje de Siembras
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1972 - 1974
A black and white photograph of a man standing barefoot with crossed arms against a wall. He ho…
Señor de Papantla
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1934 - 1935
A black and white photograph of a billboard depicting a pair of male and female legs on the sid…
Dos Pares de Piernas
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1928 - 1929
A black and white photograph of a woman shown from calves down, standing in a threshold barefoo…
El umbral
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1947
A black and white photograph of a mountain peak with evergreen trees in the foreground.
Arena y Pinitos
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
c. 1920s
A black and white photograph of two boys sitting in front of a white cloth pulled taut but tuck…
Acto Primero
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1975
A black and white photograph of a young girl standing on a dock with a fish in her hands.
“…Un Pez que llaman Sierra”
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
1942
Telfair Museum
Copyright © Telfair Museum