Riley Savage, Toquerville, Utah c. 1953 - 1965

Dorothea Lange created this black and white photograph, Riley Savage, Toquerville, Utah, and it feels so immediate. I can imagine her setting up her camera, adjusting the focus, waiting for the right moment. Lange finds Riley standing against a weathered wooden wall. The wood grain is so expressive. Riley’s face is full of character, his overalls worn and stained. It’s a study in textures and tones, like a charcoal drawing. She really gets inside the feeling of this man and place. Photography and painting have so much in common. Both are about light and shadow, composition and emotion. Think of someone like Gerhard Richter using photos as source material – it’s all part of this ongoing conversation between artists, bouncing ideas off each other, inspiring each other. It makes me want to grab my brushes and get to work!