St. Gabriel, Louisiana 1998 - 2002

Deborah Luster’s photograph, St. Gabriel, Louisiana, captures a portrait in tones of gold. It's like she's painting with light, transforming reality into something precious, like an icon. The photograph's surface has an almost antique feel, maybe like a daguerreotype, with a quality that reminds me of painting. It’s about texture and light, the way the gold brings out the details, like the pattern in her headscarf or the soft curve of her cheek. See how the shadows seem to cling to the background, making the figure stand out in sharp relief. The way the subject cradles a small sculpture, it's almost a gesture of protection. This piece echoes the work of other artists who’ve used photography to explore portraiture, like Dawoud Bey, who captures similar postures of dignity and presence. Like all good art, it leaves you with more questions than answers, and in this piece, it’s precisely that ambiguity that makes it so compelling.