James Mathis, Amherst Foundry (Working People series) 1979

Milton Rogovin captured James Mathis, of Amherst Foundry, in a photograph that’s part of his “Working People” series. This image, with its black and white tonality, walks a tightrope between stark realism and something dreamlike. Rogovin isn’t just snapping a picture; he’s composing a story, almost like building with blocks of light and shadow. Look at the way the light bounces off James’s shirt, a stark contrast to the heavier shadows that define the room. The composition, the patterned shirt, the highly ornamented mirrors and furniture create a sense of busy-ness. The image seems to be saying something about work, and class, and the spaces we inhabit. It reminds me a little of some of the portraiture work by Carrie Mae Weems, where the setting becomes as much a part of the story as the person being photographed. In the end, this photograph, like any good work of art, is more about the questions it raises than any answers it provides.