Boxer, Angola, Louisiana 22 - 1999

This is Deborah Luster’s tintype, “Boxer, Angola, Louisiana.” It’s hard to put a date on these things, because the tintype process is old-school. Think 19th century. The palette is minimal: a kind of sepia with this pale yellow overlay. It’s a process that embraces accidents, those little scratches and flares. Like a painting, really. The surface has a sheen that feels both ancient and immediate. This champion has his arms crossed, wearing a belt that says, well, “Champion.” He looks at us, meeting our gaze. There’s no attempt to smooth out the surface, to make things ‘perfect,’ to hide the grit and the work. Luster reminds me of Diane Arbus. She also saw beauty in unexpected places, in the quiet moments of everyday life. Like Arbus, Luster shows us that art isn't about perfection; it’s about honesty, process, and connection.