Untitled (Lower West Side series) 1985

This black and white photograph, part of Milton Rogovin’s Lower West Side series, captures a seated couple. What hits you first is their direct gaze, a stark simplicity in the shades of gray. The texture in this piece is everything. The rough wood behind them, the soft fabric of the couch, and the concrete they sit on all tell a story of place. See how the light catches the man’s hand resting on her shoulder? That single point of brightness draws me in, and it’s contrasted by the shadows that define their faces. Look at the details on the couch they are sitting on; it’s got the same kind of surface activity that a painter like Fairfield Porter brings to the surface of his paintings. Rogovin's work reminds me that photography, like painting, is as much about what's in front of the lens as it is about the person behind it. Art doesn't provide definitive answers, but invites us to look, question, and connect.