El Lissitzky, Dessau 1932

Here's Josef Albers' photograph of El Lissitzky, taken in Dessau. I'm struck by the quiet intensity of this image. You see Lissitzky twice, in two separate frames, and the composition almost feels like a diptych, or two panels of a painting. I wonder, what was Albers thinking? What does it mean for one artist to capture another? The tenderness in Albers' gaze seems to be an extension of the deep respect they had for one another. It’s like he's not just photographing Lissitzky but trying to understand his essence. The black and white adds to the timelessness of the image, and makes me think about other artist couples and how they’ve spurred each other on across time. It reminds us that art doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s a conversation, an exchange. And this photo is proof of that.