Untitled (portrait of woman in formal dress seated next to candelabra and zebra striped wall) c. 1940

This photograph by Paul Gittings captures a seated woman in formal dress next to a candelabra and zebra-striped wall. I imagine Gittings directing the scene like a film director. What kind of persona did the woman want to project? The woman is dressed in a way that might signal status or success. The zebra print is a bold move, a sort of confident statement piece, almost like a Cy Twombly scribble, daring and full of energy. The pose of the sitter is almost regal, but the inverted tones add a layer of mystery or unease, as if the image is caught between worlds. Thinking about other artists, I wonder if someone like Diane Arbus would have admired how Gittings played with the boundaries of portraiture. And I am reminded that art is an ongoing conversation, a relay race, with each artist picking up the baton and pushing further. It's a beautiful kind of chaos.