Marcos (on Polk Street) Possibly 1987 - 1994

Jim Goldberg made this photograph, Marcos (on Polk Street), sometime in the late 20th century. Look at how the darks and lights are arranged; the way the buildings and the sky fade into each other. It's like a dance of grays, a delicate balance that lets Marcos step forward from the background, smack into the here and now. I keep thinking about how Goldberg captured Marcos’s direct gaze. There’s something so powerful in that look, a challenge, maybe even a bit of defiance. And the way the light catches the jewelry, little glimmers of individuality, of survival. Goldberg’s work reminds me a little of Diane Arbus, that same unflinching look at people on the fringes, the way both artists use the camera to find humanity. It’s not about pretty pictures; it’s about seeing, really seeing each other.