Untitled (portrait of a little girl, hands folded in front of chest) c. 1940

Here we have an untitled photograph by Paul Gittings, showing the portrait of a little girl with her hands folded in front of her chest. It’s a photograph but it looks more like a painting, with the image caught behind a veil. There is a dreamy, obscured quality to the work, made up of a monochromatic colour palette. It’s almost as if the artist wanted to capture the transient nature of childhood. I imagine Gittings in his studio, patiently working to capture just the right feeling. I wonder if the glass was placed in front of the lens to create this effect. To create this particular expression on the child's face? A gesture like that can communicate such depth of feeling. This photograph reminds me that art is always in dialogue, constantly inspiring new ways of seeing and making. And that photography can be just as expressive as painting, embracing ambiguity and allowing for multiple interpretations.