Untitled 1932

This photographic portrait was made by Toni von Horn sometime during her lifetime, which ended in 1970. Look at the way this image has been composed. The stylish woman sits relaxed, as if in a private moment. The eye is drawn to her face, but also the floral display and a patterned backdrop. She is in the world but also of it – framed, if you will, by the floral decorations, which almost echo her own face. You can see the process of photographic creation here, the artist finding their composition by moving around the subject, getting the light just so. What was it like to create this image? The artist must have been thinking about how to capture the sitter's personality and present it to the viewer. Maybe the floral elements also reflect something of her character, maybe even something of the artist’s! That’s what all great artists do, of course; they leave traces of themselves. In this case it makes you realize that images can tell stories, and even hold little secrets.