Black Cat Possibly 1990 - 1994

Jim Goldberg made this photograph, "Black Cat," in an unknown year, and it's a piece that stays with you. The contrast is so stark, and the subject matter slightly confrontational, it feels very punk to me. The textures in the photograph are really doing it for me; I can almost feel the scratchiness of the cat’s fur on the girl's shoulder, the soft cotton of her t-shirt. The smoke unfurls into the dark background. And this cat! With it’s mouth open, hissing, it creates so much movement in an otherwise still scene. It's wild, I love it. The dark areas feel velvety and deep, while the light almost glows against them. It makes me think of Diane Arbus, who also photographed people on the margins, but Goldberg has a real intimacy with his subjects. In that sense, it’s similar to Nan Goldin. He isn’t judging, he’s observing. In the end, it's really down to the viewer how we see the photograph.