Chicago 1948

Editor: So this is Harry Callahan’s "Chicago," a black and white photograph. It’s a bit disorienting at first glance. What's your take on how Callahan uses light and shadow here? Curator: It's a dance, isn't it? I see Callahan playing with the city's soul. The high contrast and multiple exposures almost feel like memories layered on top of each other – fleeting moments captured and repeated. It evokes that feeling of urban anonymity, don't you think? Editor: Absolutely. It’s like the city is both there and not there, present and ghostly. It is very poetic. Curator: Precisely. It's as if Callahan is saying, "Here's a city, but what is a city without its ghosts?" It has a dreamlike quality. Editor: Well, I will never look at Chicago the same way again. Curator: Nor I. That’s the magic of Callahan.