The Museum of Modern Art, New York City 1975

Larry Fink made this photograph, “The Museum of Modern Art, New York City,” it looks like with a flash, and a lot of curiosity about the drama of social life. I’m thinking about the woman in the center, illuminated, holding something in her hands - is it a peach? A cocktail? Her expression is somewhere between delight, surprise, and fear. I wonder if she knows she is being watched by the photographer? I wonder if she would care? Is she aware that in that moment she has become art? The photo's grainy texture gives a sense of spontaneity. It feels like a slice of life, and yet the composition feels posed. It reminds me of Nan Goldin's intimate portraits, but with a more detached, observational feel. There’s a connection to Diane Arbus, too, in the way Fink captures people in their unguarded moments, revealing something unexpected. It makes me think of how artists have always found inspiration in the everyday, turning the ordinary into something extraordinary.