Untitled [Girl in a Corner] 1972 - 1976

This is an undated photograph by Joan Cassis, simply called "Girl in a Corner." It's a black and white image, and you can feel the weight of the paper, the texture almost palpable. I look at this girl and wonder what it was like for Cassis to make this image. Was she thinking about girlhood? Is this a self-portrait of sorts? The girl’s body language is so telling – arms crossed, head down, almost in hiding. The wall behind her is scrawled with markings, doodles, a whole world of unspoken thoughts and feelings. Cassis is working with such restraint. The greyscale palette is narrow and creates an atmosphere, a kind of psychological space where vulnerability and strength coexist. It reminds me a little of Emmet Gowin's portraits of his family, intimate yet universal. Photography, like painting, is a process of inquiry. Each image is a question, a provocation, an invitation to see the world anew. Artists are always responding to each other, learning from each other, and pushing the boundaries of what art can be.