AARON SISKIND (1903-1991) Pleasures and Terrors of Levitation, No. 474. 1954; printed 1960s. Silver print, the image measuring 15½x15 inches (39.4x38.1 cm.), flush mounted, with Siskind's signature and dated inscription in ink and a George Eastman House Collection label with Siskind's credit, the title, and negative date, on mount verso.
In a 1978 interview, Siskind explained what had attracted him about the divers: "I was walking along the lake in Chicago, and I saw these guys jumping off a diving board. It was a beautiful Sunday, and I was just walking along with my Rolleiflex. I sat down and started taking pictures of them without knowing exactly what I was doing, only that I was taking pictures of divers. The results didn't particularly interest me until I looked at one that struck me. This guy was a diver, but he wasn't a diver. He was levitating as if in a dream state, and then I knew what I was after."
