Glasses 1974

Nathan Lerner made this gelatin silver print, "Glasses," and what strikes me is the quiet observation, almost like a visual poem. The composition is a grid of eyeglasses displayed on a window, set against a blurred street scene, and I imagine Lerner patiently watching, waiting for that right moment when the reflections and the arrangements of spectacles created a kind of visual harmony. I can almost feel him behind the camera, considering how to frame this urban tableau. Was it about seeing, or being seen? About clarity or distortion? The repetition of forms is hypnotic, the glasses hanging in space reminding me of his constructivist approach to photography. It's interesting how the grid in this piece suggests both order and a kind of playful chaos. Like other photographers such as, say, Paul Strand, Lerner invites us to look closely, to find beauty in the everyday, and maybe, to question how we perceive the world. These artists remind us that art isn't just about grand statements but about noticing, about tuning into the subtle visual rhythms of life.