Angola, Louisiana 4 - 1999

Deborah Luster made this portrait, Angola, Louisiana, using a photographic process that feels both immediate and historical. The sepia tones speak of time and memory, of something held, yet distant. Look closely at the way the light catches the planes of the man’s face. This isn’t about capturing a surface likeness; it's about feeling the weight of a gaze. See how the dark background throws the face into sharp relief? There’s something about the way the light falls that makes you consider the conditions in which it was made. The slight imperfections around the edges, the way the image fades into darkness, all contribute to an emotional experience of the artwork. This is a portrait of a person, but it is also a meditation on time, circumstance, and the capacity of photography to hold onto memory. Think of Dawoud Bey, who is working in a similar way today. The conversation continues.