Mexico 67 1982

Aaron Siskind made this photograph, Mexico 67, using black and white film. It’s a really interesting composition, abstract, almost like a painting. I see these shapes, kind of blobby, like islands in a grey sea, or maybe torn paper. The edges are sharp, contrasted with the soft, mottled textures inside. Look at the way the light plays on the surfaces; it makes me think about the physicality of photography, the darkroom alchemy. Siskind isn’t just capturing a scene; he’s manipulating tone to create something new. There’s this one particular shape near the top, like a backwards ‘S’, it anchors the composition. It makes me think of Franz Kline, another artist obsessed with dynamic forms, but Kline used thick black paint, Siskind uses light and shadow. It’s a reminder that art is about seeing the world in new ways, and the conversation never ends.