Untitled (girl talking on telephone and sipping soda) c. 1950

Editor: This is Jack Gould's petite, silver-toned photograph from the Harvard Art Museums, "Untitled (girl talking on telephone and sipping soda)." I find the composition striking, with the young woman framed against the doorway. What formal elements stand out to you? Curator: The inverted tonality immediately arrests the eye. Observe how the artist utilizes the negative space to define the figure. The linear quality of the telephone cord creates a diagonal axis, bisecting the portrait and adding a sense of dynamic tension. Note, too, the textural contrast between the smooth bottle and the granular quality of the photographic emulsion. Editor: That's a good point about the contrast of the textures. I hadn't noticed that before. Thanks. Curator: Considering the framing, the stark tonality, the pose... It all adds up to a study of form, independent of context.