Magnolia Possibly 1986 - 1990

This is Graciela Iturbide’s photograph, Magnolia, made with silver gelatin. Right away I’m drawn to the texture – look at the way the light plays on the cracked wall. It's a backdrop, but it's also a character. You know? It's got this history etched into it, like wrinkles on a face. The figure, Magnolia, holds a mirror with a man's face reflected in it. It's about duality, right? Masculine and feminine, surface and depth. The way the light falls on the floral dress, it almost blends into the wall, like she's becoming part of the environment, but then you have the stark contrast of the man's face in the mirror. It’s a dialogue between what’s revealed and what’s concealed, a dance between identities. Like with Diane Arbus, it's about finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. Iturbide isn't afraid to embrace ambiguity. There’s no one answer, and that's what makes it so compelling.