Jimmy Webster (Lower West Side series) 1992

Milton Rogovin took this photograph of Jimmy Webster as part of his Lower West Side series. Rogovin's got this stark black and white, and it’s like he's not just snapping a picture but building a whole world. I can see Jimmy standing there, hands on hips, a tool belt slung around his waist. He's got this look, like, yeah, I know what I'm doing. And around him, the textures! The house’s weathered shingles and the smooth steps behind him. What was Rogovin thinking when he clicked the shutter? I bet he wanted to show the pride in Jimmy's eyes. I can imagine him trying to capture the feeling of hard work and resilience in this neighborhood. It makes me think about other photographers, like, Jacob Riis, maybe, who were also trying to capture real life, raw and honest. Anyway, artists, they’re always riffing off each other. They create a visual call and response across time. In this case, Rogovin is creating a form of embodied expression which embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations and meaning over fixed or definitive readings.