Woman, Washington Square Park, New York Possibly 1916 - 1917

Paul Strand created this gelatin silver print, "Woman, Washington Square Park, New York". The composition centers on a woman whose gaze drifts slightly to the right, framed against a dark, blurred background. The textural contrast is immediately apparent, with the rough, almost palpable fabric of her coat juxtaposed against the intricate lines etched into her face. Strand's employment of stark contrasts and close framing invites a structuralist reading. We might consider how the photographer uses light and shadow to sculpt form, creating a dialogue between presence and absence. Her hat, adorned with dark embellishments, and the high collar, further enclose her, reducing her interaction with the outside world. This photograph destabilizes conventional portraiture by focusing on the materiality of the subject. It prompts a reconsideration of how we construct meaning through surfaces and how texture can convey depth.