Mr. Bennett, Vermont 1944

This is Paul Strand’s photograph of Mr. Bennett, taken in Vermont. The silver is gelatin, the focus is sharp, and the print is small. It has the quality of having been made with care. Strand probably approached Mr. Bennett and asked to take his portrait. I imagine him positioning Mr. Bennett against the wooden wall and snapping the photo in a single shot. Then back to the dark room and into the soup. I think it is a beautiful, straightforward image of the man, his character, and his place. There is a little window in the background, slightly open, and the light in the photograph feels true to Vermont—a little gray, honest. The same light that Edward Hopper was trying to catch in paint. Painters have always been inspired by photography, and vice versa. This photograph is an ancestor of the work of many artists working today.