Mario, Crying After Being Bitten by a Dog after 1961

Gordon Parks made this gelatin silver print, "Mario, Crying After Being Bitten by a Dog," and in it, the grays deepen like a bruise, don’t they? It’s all about process with photography; the way the light and shadows come out depends on the chemistry. It’s about waiting and watching, like painting. Parks is working with a tonal palette, capturing the textures of Mario’s skin and clothing, the rough rock, all in shades of gray. I keep coming back to Mario’s open mouth, that dark void framed by his scream. You can almost hear the sound, can’t you? It’s raw, immediate, and so real. Parks' work reminds me of the directness and emotion in the photographs of someone like Lisette Model. Both Parks and Model have a way of capturing real life, unvarnished, showing us the messy, painful, and beautiful moments that make us human. Art isn't always about answers, it's about feeling, about seeing the world in new ways.