Untitled (elderly man sitting on city bench, head down) 1961

Curator: We are looking at an untitled photograph by Jack Gould, part of the collection at the Harvard Art Museums. It shows an elderly man sitting on a bench. Editor: He looks utterly alone, doesn't he? Head bowed, stick leaning… It’s a powerful composition, the man's posture speaks volumes. Curator: Indeed. The formal elements direct our reading. Note the geometry: the contrast between the strong verticals and horizontals in the buildings and the man's drooping figure. Editor: There's such a sense of urban isolation, like everyone is rushing by, indifferent. I wonder what he’s thinking. Curator: The city becomes a backdrop, a neutral space where this quiet drama unfolds. Editor: I’m left pondering the weight of time, the vulnerability of aging in the heart of a bustling city. It's a stark and moving image.