Angola, Louisiana 11 - 1999

Deborah Luster created this photograph in Louisiana. It’s printed on a small plate, and the image is gold toned. I wonder about Luster as an artist, what she might have been thinking as she watched this man in front of her. His gaze feels direct, vulnerable. The black background throws him into stark relief. I like how the almost golden monochrome gives it such a feeling of timelessness. It’s a very simple image in some ways, yet so complex at the same time. Painters are always looking at other art forms. You can see how someone like Alice Neel might be interested in this sort of portrait. I can imagine the ongoing conversation, the exchange of ideas, where artists inspire one another’s creativity. It’s a beautiful conversation across time.