Asphalt Workers 1975

Roy DeCarava’s photograph, "Asphalt Workers," captures a moment with film and light. The tones move with a kind of smoky grace, revealing the process of seeing as a kind of alchemy. Look at the stark contrast between the figures and the ground, how the shovel in the foreground seems to slice through the image, its dark blade mirrored in the deep shadows pooling around the workers’ feet. The composition feels both gritty and dreamlike. DeCarava coaxes a surprising range of grays from the black and white film. It reminds me a little of Aaron Siskind's way of finding abstraction in the everyday. Both artists show us how the world, when reframed, becomes a canvas for endless interpretation. It's a reminder that art isn't about answers, but about asking the right questions.