English Speaking Union, New York City 1975

Larry Fink made this gelatin silver print, English Speaking Union, New York City, at some point in his career, and what strikes me is the way he embraces the off-kilter. It's all about the blacks and whites here, a real study in contrasts, like a party where everyone showed up in their own movie. Look at the woman in the foreground, her dress a dark, velvety mass, almost swallowing the light, versus the pearls of the woman to the left, shimmering like little moons. The grain of the image feels almost tactile, like you could reach out and feel the grit of the party. There's a tension in the way Fink crops the figures, a deliberate awkwardness that feels so much more real than any posed portrait. It reminds me a bit of Diane Arbus, that same fascination with the edges of society. It’s like he’s saying, "Here we are, in all our messy, imperfect glory." It leaves you wondering about the stories behind these faces, the dramas unfolding just beyond the frame. It's what I like to call 'visual jazz'.