Untitled (portrait of an older woman in hat and earrings, carrying pocketbook) c. 1940

This photographic portrait of an older woman with a hat and earrings, carrying a pocketbook, was made by Paul Gittings at an unspecified time. There is something so evocative in the way Gittings composes his portraits: he creates a sense of depth using light and shadow that lends a timeless quality to the image. Looking at the texture of this photograph, the contrast between the delicate weave of her hat and the smoother fabric of her dress, you can almost feel the different surfaces. And the way the light catches the pearls around her neck, each bead seems to have its own little halo. The soft focus gives an almost dreamlike quality, blurring the edges and making her features seem less defined. It reminds me of some of Alice Neel’s portraits: this willingness to capture the person in front of you, even if it means revealing some vulnerability. Art is a conversation, after all, an ongoing exchange of ideas across time and space, where meaning is always fluid.