Untitled (three debutantes) 1964

Robert Burian captured these three debutantes in an undated black and white photograph. I wonder about the impulse behind this image—what was Burian looking for, and what did he find? These young women, encased in white satin, are presented for our consideration. They’re all in their gowns, with long gloves, and each holds herself in a particular pose. The artist finds something here, in the artifice of presentation, like Manet, who found so much in the costumes and attitudes of modern life. There is a contrast in tone between the setting and the figures. One is rather plain, in a corner of a building, the other is ready to go out into the world. It makes me wonder what the artist was thinking when he made this picture. I feel that this photograph is asking a question.