246 Days Old Possibly 1989 - 1998

This photograph, 246 Days Old, was taken by Debora Hunter, who was born in 1950. It’s a portrait of a baby in an elaborate white dress and bonnet, sitting on a white wrought-iron bench next to a woman in a pink uniform, with a swimming pool in the background. You know, when I look at this, I think of painting. It's like a painting in the way it captures a moment. It’s a hot, saturated image, full of strange, almost surreal juxtapositions. The baby is so serious and doll-like. The woman is stoic, patient, and tired. The blue of the pool is so unnaturally perfect. There is a sense of formal complexity which recalls Manet’s painting of his maidservant. Photography and painting have always been in conversation with each other, pushing each other to explore new ways of seeing and representing the world. They both take time, skill, and a deep understanding of light, color, and composition. I wonder about the artist’s intentions. Does the title 246 Days Old refer to a specific day, and a specific event? Is it the infant’s first communion? It remains ambiguous, and that’s what makes it so interesting.