Russian Ball, New York City 1978

Larry Fink made this photograph, ‘Russian Ball, New York City,’ with a camera of course, and probably a flash – you can see how the light flares on the younger man’s satin lapel. It’s all about surfaces and textures, isn’t it? The grainy black and white, the way the older man’s face is half in shadow. I can imagine Larry sneaking around the edges of this fancy party, watching people, trying to catch that unguarded moment. What was he thinking as he watched these two men in conversation? There’s a real sense of intimacy, or maybe tension, between them – caught in a moment of close exchange. It makes me think about Diane Arbus and Lisette Model, that whole tradition of street photography that’s both tender and a little bit brutal. And what is that woman doing in the background – reading? Talking on her cell? Probably neither. I wonder what it’s like to be a fly on the wall like Larry Fink.