Untitled (men dressed as women) 1948

This small photograph shows a group of men dressed as women, somewhere in the mid-20th century, but who was Robert Burian? It's the kind of image that feels so spontaneous, like you’re catching a moment that wasn’t meant to be seen. The high contrast of the monochrome is stark, almost ghostly. Details emerge and disappear depending on how the light hits, focusing your eye on the figures. Look at the man seated to the right. His pose is so nonchalant, and the faces of the "women" in the center have such radiant smiles, but then there is this kind of quiet reserve to the other figures. The flatness of the photographic paper makes the scene feel both intimate and distant, like a memory fading at the edges. It reminds me of other under-known artists who captured everyday life with such depth, like ordinary life could be so extraordinary. There's such a potent energy here that plays with gender and humour. It's a reminder that art, in any form, is about opening up possibilities, not closing them down.