The Brown Sisters, Truro, Massachusetts 2017

Editor: We’re looking at "The Brown Sisters, Truro, Massachusetts" by Nicholas Nixon, from 2017, a gelatin-silver print. There's an incredible starkness to this portrait; it’s very intimate and raw, even slightly haunting. What strikes you when you look at this work? Curator: What strikes me is the intentionality Nixon brings to bear by repeating this portrait every year. We are looking at the evolving, cumulative effect of representation. It transcends the individual sitting—focusing instead on how the annual ritual of being photographed together affects them and our interpretation. The photograph becomes a social artifact as much as a portrait. How do you think the historical context shapes how we view this work today? Editor: Well, considering how obsessed our culture is with documenting ourselves through images, this seems to resist that urge in a way. Instead of carefully curated, joyous images of ourselves that we put forward, this photo presents these women without any artifice, right? It's almost confrontational. Curator: Precisely! It makes you think about what Nixon *isn’t* showing, right? The project really challenges conventional portraiture in the media, where controlled images of women dominate. Think of it as a subversion of these power dynamics within art itself. The continued project amplifies those notions even further. Why do you think Nixon returned to the same subjects, year after year? Editor: Maybe to show the honesty in aging and change, in direct opposition to media’s obsession with youth and novelty. Curator: I agree! That is an important aspect, because each picture captures not just individual aging, but their shared history as it accumulates annually. The piece functions as a type of evidence. We are prompted to consider that within institutions like the museum, works become cultural touchstones as they continually are seen over time. Editor: It is fascinating to see the effects of time in their faces, and the role this consistent capture plays. Curator: Absolutely. It urges a different type of portraiture, one more honest in approach. Editor: I’ll definitely think about image-making in a more social and historical way going forward. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.