Ingrid Bergman, Stromboli, Italy after 1949

Gordon Parks captured Ingrid Bergman in Stromboli, Italy, using photography, a medium that freezes a moment, turning the fleeting into something lasting. It’s all in monochrome, a limited palette that somehow opens up a wider range of emotional tones. Look at the texture here; the rough stone wall behind the figures contrasts with the smooth, almost porcelain quality of Bergman’s skin. The women in the background, shrouded in dark clothing, they are almost part of that wall. There's a tension between background and foreground, and the textures in this image amplify that. It is as if they are the foundation that Bergman stands apart from. Her gaze, directed downward, suggests a kind of contemplative distance from them and her surrounds. Parks, with his background in photojournalism, shares an affinity with Walker Evans. Both capture the social landscape with an empathetic eye, inviting us to reflect on the complexities of human experience, even in the most seemingly simple of images. Art is always a conversation, a back-and-forth across time, and Parks continues that dialogue with depth and nuance.