Atlantic City Possibly 1973 - 1994

Richard Gordon made this gelatin silver print, titled *Atlantic City*. It's a black and white photograph. The way the light plays on the metal bars, it’s as if Gordon is painting with light here. You know, it’s funny, photography and painting are often seen as opposites, but I think that’s wrong. They both share this desire to show the world in a way that is particular to the artist's eye. I imagine Gordon walking around with his camera, drawn to the geometry of the metal grill, the layers of transparency. What was he thinking when he saw this? Was he drawn to the play of light and shadow, or was there something more symbolic at play here? Maybe it had to do with ideas of confinement and freedom? It makes you wonder. Like painters, photographers are also in conversation with one another, building on what came before, pushing things forward. Maybe someone like Gordon was thinking about Walker Evans's documentary approach. It’s like they're all contributing to this ongoing story, this shared visual language that keeps evolving.