Three Harijan girls, Kutch, Gujarat 1979

Jyoti Bhatt made this photograph, Three Harijan girls, in Kutch, Gujarat, using what I imagine was a medium format camera. Look at the tonal range - so subtle, and the textures, so delicate. The grainy surface reminds me of film photography, of course, but also like old etchings where the artist coaxes the image from a plate. The picture plane is shallow, flattened, like a drawing. The girls are pressed against a wall that has a series of holes in the upper part. The texture of the wall is rough, but not uniformly so, some areas smoother than others. This is enhanced by the lighting. But it’s the girls’ eyes that draw me in. They gaze in different directions, each seemingly lost in her own thoughts, but together, they make a wonderful composition. Bhatt’s work makes me think of other photographers like Lisette Model who were deeply interested in representing the human condition with warmth and respect. Photography is like painting; it is a conversation across time.