Chicago 18 1949

Aaron Siskind made this photograph, *Chicago 18*, using his camera to capture something that isn’t immediately apparent. The image is all greyscale, with stark contrasts between light and dark creating a shadowy presence. I imagine Siskind looking through the viewfinder, trying to find the right angle, playing with light, and shadow. What was it that he wanted to extract? He’s a master of abstraction through photographic means, taking something representational and turning it into something else. Here, it seems like a figure with arms outstretched. The dark strokes convey energy, as if the figure is in motion, reaching out or pushing against an unseen force. The texture feels rough, almost like charcoal or ink on paper. What does it mean to make photographs like paintings and paintings like photographs? It's all one big conversation, right? We’re all just throwing ideas back and forth, riffing off each other across time.