The Brown Sisters, Harwichport, Massachusetts 1978

Here is a photograph made by Nicholas Nixon in Harwichport, Massachusetts, of four sisters. Looking at the image, I can see each sister standing shoulder-to-shoulder, their faces turned towards the camera. Nixon used black and white film, which reduces the scene to its essential forms and textures. I wonder what it must have been like to photograph the Brown sisters year after year. Maybe Nixon felt like he was capturing time itself. Each of the four sisters has a distinct expression, each facing the camera with their own presence. I can see the weight of their individual lives, but at the same time they have a shared history. Perhaps Nixon was thinking about the passing of time and the complex relationships that hold families together. Artists are constantly building upon each other's work. This image feels like a conversation about time, memory, and relationships. Nixon prompts us to look more closely, to see the beauty and complexity in the everyday.