Fa alatt (Kata Kálmán) (Under a tree [Kata Kálmán]) 1932

This photograph, "Under a Tree," was taken by Iván Hevesy, though we don’t know exactly when. The high contrast pulls me into the private moment of this figure relaxing on the ground. There's a strong diagonal created by the figure in the checkered dress that almost acts as a kind of shadow. I imagine Hevesy circling the figure to find the right angle, maybe they were collaborators, moving around each other, co-creating this composition. It makes me think about what it means to be present in a particular moment, how the relationship between the artist, the model, and the environment can come together to make something new. Each of them has a point of view. Painters, photographers, and other artists are always building on the ideas of others. The act of making is like participating in a conversation across time, and even after the artwork is finished it’s like the conversation is still going on.