Collage c. 1956

Harry Callahan, a photographer who died in 1999, made this collage from cut up photographs, but when, and why he did this is anyone's guess. It's a field of faces looking every which way, a veritable sea of bygone glamour. Some are crisply rendered, while others are more softly suggestive. I am particularly drawn to the strong graphic quality of the faces, which seems to push forward from the surface and yet the tones of black and white recede, suggesting depth. Our eyes dart around trying to find patterns, trying to make sense of the chaos, but ultimately surrendering to the visual overload. Callahan seemed interested in how our eyes and brains make meaning out of fragmentary information, and that's something I can relate to, both as a viewer and a painter. I am reminded of other artists such as Hannah Hoch and other Dadaists who constructed realities out of collage. It's a reminder that meaning is never fixed, but always in process, evolving with each new glance.