Untitled (people at table at party) c. 1966

Robert Burian made this small, untitled photograph of people at a party, likely in the mid-20th century. It’s a black and white shot, but the grays tell a story all their own, don't they? I'm immediately drawn to the wallpaper; it's like a whole other party going on behind the people. It's kind of amazing how the camera captures the details, like the silverware catching the light. There's a real sense of texture, almost like you can feel the fabric of their clothes or the weight of the glasses. Look at how the light catches the faces, it gives such depth to the scene. It makes me think about how artists like Gerhard Richter use photography to explore memory and time, playing with focus and clarity to convey the elusiveness of the past. There's a beauty in that blurriness, isn't there? It reminds us that art, like memory, is always a little bit out of reach.