Untitled (woman in sombrero and dancing dress, looking to the side) 1941

Editor: So this is John Deusing’s *Untitled (woman in sombrero and dancing dress, looking to the side)*, a 10x8 inch photo at the Harvard Art Museums. It’s a negative, which gives it this ghostly quality. What strikes you about the composition? Curator: The inversion of light and shadow complicates our understanding of form. Note the strong diagonal created by her gaze, drawing the eye across the frame. How does the texture of the sombrero interact with the smooth backdrop? Editor: It creates an interesting contrast, almost flattening the figure. Curator: Precisely. Deusing manipulates tonal values to disrupt conventional spatial relationships. The surface becomes paramount, challenging our perception of depth. Editor: I hadn’t considered that. Thanks for pointing out those formal elements.