Shadows 1943

Nathan Lerner made this photograph, ‘Shadows’, at an unknown date, using a camera, some film and a darkroom.   It's a dance of light and dark, isn't it? The way the shadows play across the surface, they're almost like characters in a play. The blacks are so rich, so deep, they create this incredible sense of depth and texture. I find my eye is drawn to the shadows at the base of the image, these almost-shapes like abstracted figuration, which speak to the overall composition. It feels like Lerner’s showing us how something as simple as a shadow can transform an ordinary scene into something extraordinary, maybe even magical. In a way it feels connected to the early photography of someone like Alvin Langdon Coburn, another artist who made magic from the everyday. Ultimately, it’s about seeing the world with fresh eyes and finding beauty in the unexpected.