Stewart and Broccoli, San Francisco (images) Possibly 1986 - 1994

Editor: This is "Stewart and Broccoli, San Francisco (images)" by Jim Goldberg, likely from the late 80s or early 90s. It’s a gelatin silver print presented as a strip of film. The blurry motion throughout gives it a snapshot-like quality that seems to both capture a specific moment, yet also render it distant and fleeting. I'm particularly struck by the stark contrast and the repetition of figures. What formal qualities stand out to you in this piece? Curator: The immediate observation I make concerns the structural use of repetition. The figures of Stewart and Broccoli recur across the film strip, but are never identical. Note how Goldberg manipulates focus and perspective in each frame. We are forced to decode the narrative not through a singular, clear image, but through a fragmented sequence. Editor: So, you’re focusing on how Goldberg constructs meaning through the arrangement of the individual images? Curator: Precisely. Consider the tonality: The consistent use of high contrast monochrome lends a graphic quality to the images, emphasizing form and texture. Look closely at the interplay of light and shadow within each frame; how it sculpts the subjects and influences our reading of their relationship to one another and to the setting. Also, the use of film strip as the structure for his art. Editor: I hadn't considered the light and shadow creating a structure that informs the figures relationship to one another. Are you suggesting Goldberg uses formal photographic strategies such as sequencing, focus, contrast to represent the subjects' relationship and create a deeper, yet elusive narrative about the human connection in a fleeting instance? Curator: Yes. By drawing our attention to these arrangements and pictorial components, the photography becomes more interesting to observe. Editor: Thank you; I now appreciate how the formal decisions build upon themselves to establish new relationships, within and across the photographic strip, thus offering layers of narratives about these particular characters.