Venezuela 1960

Dorothea Lange made this black and white photograph in Venezuela. The composition is startling: we see the lower half of a figure, maybe life size, standing on what looks like corrugated metal with corn strewn around his feet. He is holding a machete in one hand and an axe in the other. Lange is known for her documentary work, but this feels more like an intentional arrangement, a still life of sorts, made in collaboration with her subject. The silvery tones and textural richness is what makes this image stick in my mind. There is a tension between rawness and refinement, a feeling of the improvised. It’s hard not to think of Walker Evans or Roy DeCarava; artists who used photography to engage with social issues, but who also understood the formal language of image making. Ultimately, Lange leaves us with more questions than answers, creating a space for contemplation.