Lima, Peru 1973

Ed Grazda made this photograph, Lima, Peru sometime around 1947 and used a gelatin silver print to capture this fascinating scene. The image is mostly grey and white, and what strikes me is the presence of this white cloth or sheet being held up against a dark chalkboard. I imagine Ed in that room, maybe a classroom, seeing this person holding the cloth. Perhaps a student creating some kind of barrier or backdrop. What could they be thinking at that moment? What feeling does that evoke? The textures of the walls and furniture, the simplicity of the composition, create this sense of quiet contemplation. It reminds me of other photographs where simple, everyday scenes are transformed into something meaningful through light, composition, and the artist’s perspective. It is as if the artist sees something that others might miss, and in that moment, they want to say something to the world. And like painting, photography can be a way of sharing what you see with others, and even a form of poetry.