Eleanor, Chicago 1948

Harry Callahan made this photograph of Eleanor, in Chicago, using I’m guessing silver gelatin. It's beautiful, so quiet, like a Morandi bottle still life. Look at the way the light from the window grazes her back, it makes me think about the process of photography itself, the way it captures light. It's an intimate image, but also very formal. The window frame behind Eleanor echos the frame of the photograph itself. The texture of the wall and the floorboards contrasts with the smoothness of her skin. It's like Callahan is thinking about the way surfaces can reflect or absorb light. Think about what Edward Hopper said, "It seems to me that the most real, vivid, and moving poetry would be to catch the modifications of light on the sides of a house." Callahan explored similar themes and subjects throughout his career, constantly refining his vision. You can see some echoes of his formal explorations in the work of Emmet Gowin. Both embraced ambiguity and celebrated the play of light and shadow.