Hollow Horn Bear 1907

This is Edward S. Curtis's photograph of Hollow Horn Bear, made with that creamy, sepia-toned photographic process. What’s striking is the depth of emotion Curtis coaxes out of a single color range. Look at the textures! The way the light glances off the planes of Hollow Horn Bear’s face, the worn fabric of his garment, the delicate beading. It's all about touch, even though it's a photograph. You can almost feel the weight of history and culture in every detail. Notice the gaze; it's both direct and somehow turned inward. The slight furrow of his brow, the set of his lips, tell a story of resilience and experience. Curtis, like many artists, was interested in portraying the human condition, and his work reminds me a bit of August Sander's portraits of people in Weimar Germany—each capturing a specific time and place through the faces of its inhabitants. Art is like that, it's all about how we see and feel.