Benefit, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Possibly 1975 - 1981

Larry Fink made this photograph, Benefit, with light, time, and silver salts, in Washington, D.C. I wonder what it was like for Fink at that Benefit? Did he feel like an insider or an outsider, hovering at the edges of the party? He’s captured a scene of people in conversation at a dinner table, a sort of Edwardian tableau with its formality and soft lighting. The composition feels both intimate and a bit voyeuristic, like we’re getting a glimpse into a private world. The contrast is amazing. Look at the way the dark shadows play against the bright highlights on the faces and the tablecloth. Fink has this way of making the everyday feel charged, full of potential stories. You can imagine a whole narrative unfolding just from this one frame, and that to me, is what makes him a great artist. The photograph isn't just about what's there, it's about what it suggests.