Christmas Star after 1955

This gelatin silver print, Christmas Star, was made by Frank Paulin. The way Paulin layers the reflections here is like a painter building up layers of glaze. It's like he's saying, "Here's a world, but it's never just one thing." Look at the people in the foreground, going about their day, framed by Christmas decorations. Then, through the window, we see another world—buildings, another kind of life—all intersecting in one moment. This layering isn't just about showing us multiple scenes; it's about time collapsing, different realities coexisting. The reflections and juxtapositions invite us to wander, to make connections between what we see and what we feel. Thinking about other artists, someone like Garry Winogrand comes to mind, capturing street life, but Paulin adds this extra layer of reflective depth. Art is always a conversation, after all, and this print speaks volumes about how much can be seen in a single frame.