Brenda Lathers, St. Gabriel, Louisiana 29 - 1999

Editor: Deborah Luster’s photograph, "Brenda Lathers, St. Gabriel, Louisiana," dated 1999, offers a unique glimpse. I’m struck by the sepia tone and almost dreamlike quality. What formal elements stand out to you? Curator: The first aspect to note is Luster's intentional manipulation of photographic tone. The overall golden hue washes across the image plane, obscuring clear delineations of value and chromatic intensity that one would normally expect from a photograph. What effect does this have on the geometric relationships, and the flattening of depth within the pictorial space? Editor: It creates a soft, almost timeless quality, blurring the foreground and background. The strong horizontal stripes on her shirt also catch the eye. Curator: Indeed. The contrasting horizontal bands serve as powerful linear vectors. Semiotically, we should analyze how this functions with other pictorial devices to flatten perspective and destabilize conventional depth cues. Note too the significance of texture: observe the coarse materiality of the agricultural field juxtaposed with the smooth facture of the subject’s skin. This imbues the portrait with haptic, sensual qualities. Do you see how the composition avoids traditional focal points, compelling your eye to circulate through all parts of the frame? Editor: Yes, the background almost feels as important as the figure, and that interplay makes the image quite interesting. It’s less about “who” and more about everything. Curator: Precisely. The genius of this photograph inheres in the equal weighting given to all compositional elements, so that all parts are rendered mutually supportive of each other. I believe it provides valuable tools for any emerging artist to interrogate how images signify at multiple formal registers. Editor: I hadn't considered that! It makes me think differently about the power of composition in storytelling. Curator: As it should. Photography at its most potent can deliver profound insights through a careful calibration of form.