Untitled (older couple standing in arch in front of pine trees) c. 1940

This photograph of a couple was made by Paul Gittings, though the date is unknown. What strikes me is the contrast between the dark, pine trees in the background and the stark whiteness of the archway. The image itself is like a negative, a reversal of tones. We see the world through this lens, a kind of dreamscape. The archway frames the couple, placing them in a specific context. Their presence in the middle ground makes them stand out. It makes me wonder, what are they looking at? What are they thinking? The lack of clear detail contributes to the image's hazy, ethereal quality. The lack of certainty is where the image's power lies. Like a poem or a half-remembered memory, the image asks us to engage our imagination and find our own meaning within its layers. This photo reminds me of Diane Arbus, in that it manages to find the sublime in the mundane.