Smoke + Veil, Paris c. 1958 - 1989

William Klein captured this image, "Smoke + Veil, Paris," with a camera, of course. It is an image of a face, a woman's face, shrouded in mystery. The veil, like a screen, both reveals and conceals, and this haze of smoke... it's like an emotional weather system, totally enigmatic. I wonder what Klein was thinking, aiming his lens, trying to capture not just a picture, but a vibe, a story. What's she thinking? Is she hiding or revealing herself? What's her story? The tones here have a beautiful velvety feel. It's not just about the gray scale, but more about the texture of light itself. It's like he’s painting with light! It reminds me of other artists who play with ambiguity and emotion, like Gerhard Richter. This image doesn’t sit still. It provokes more questions than answers, as if we're all part of an ongoing conversation with the artist, across time and space.