Boston (Night at an ATM kiosk.) 1999

This is a gelatin silver print titled Boston (Night at an ATM kiosk.) by Betsy Karel. In the photograph, a seated man looks away from the viewer. The image feels almost cinematic, like a scene from a gritty black and white film. I can imagine the artist seeing the composition in real life and deciding on the spot to make it into a work. The artist, Karel, has clearly captured a specific place and time. I can feel the late-night melancholy of an urban street corner. I am intrigued by the way the composition invites us to contemplate urban existence and its often unseen narratives. The cigarette smoke looks like a thought bubble, don't you think? Maybe Karel was thinking about the legacy of street photography, from the 1930s to now. Ultimately, this image, like all artworks, is part of an ongoing dialogue. Artists see, respond, and create, building upon what has come before while adding their unique perspectives. And, for me, that’s what makes art so endlessly fascinating.