Untitled

Untitled 

無題

Artist
BOIFFARD, Jacques-André
ボワファール、ジャック=アンドレ
Birth Year
1902
Death Year
1961
Date
1929 (printed later) 
Technique, Material, Format
gelatin silver print 
Dimension
22.7 x 18.7 cm 
Category
Photograph or Moving Image by ForeignPhotographer/Artist 
Inventory Number
93-PHF-023 

When you first looked at this photo, did it give you pause…? Yes, that really is a big toe, and the photo was used to illustrate an essay by French philosopher Georges Bataille titled "The Big Toe".
Bataille’s strong assertion in his essay was that while human beings tend to assume that things up high are sacred and things down in the dirt are inferior, the bipedal locomotion that helped differentiate us from other animals is in fact supported by none other than our big toes. Discard preconceived notions, open your eyes to reality and understand what true life is: That is the unexpected yet compelling philosophy encapsulated in this single image of a small appendage emerging from darkness.
(SAKAMOTO Kyoko)

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