Untitled (Laguna Beach) 1979

Curator: This is Bill Dane's "Untitled (Laguna Beach)," part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. It’s a gelatin silver print. Editor: It has this stark, almost theatrical quality. The way the figures are posed feels very deliberate. Curator: Dane’s work often explores overlooked aspects of American life, the everyday, and the spaces we inhabit. The composition places these men in relation to constructed artifice. Editor: The contrast between the organic foliage and the constructed wall really jumps out. It’s like a stage setting. Curator: Laguna Beach has a long history as a site of image making and this photograph continues that legacy. The image plays with notions of leisure, masculinity, and the picturesque in a seemingly unposed snapshot. Editor: Absolutely. I was also struck by the textural layering – the foliage is soft and dense, contrasting with the hard stonework and the exposed bodies. Curator: It invites us to consider the performance of identity within specific cultural landscapes. Thanks for your insights. Editor: My pleasure, seeing how artifice shapes life gives you much to reflect on.