Sacramento (“Fat Lady” circus act) 1972

Bill Dane made this gelatin silver print titled Sacramento, with the subtext “(“Fat Lady” circus act)”, in the 20th century. This is a black and white image, but the real subject here is light, and it's Dane’s treatment of it. In this image, the light is like an X-ray, it reveals the texture of the circus posters in the background, with their strange and antiquated lettering, the grain of the wooden boards of the stage, and the faces and hands of the performers. Look closely at the figure of the 'Fat Lady' looming in the background. She looks like she is drawn with oil pastels on cheap paper - and the details are amazing. The soft focus and the way that the artist allows certain areas to fall into shadow gives the whole scene a melancholic feel. You can almost hear the sounds of the fairground. Dane, like his contemporary Garry Winogrand, was interested in photographing public spaces and in the theatre of everyday life. Both artists embrace contingency, welcoming chance encounters and spontaneous compositions. It’s up to us to make sense of it all.