Untitled (portrait of child with blond hair holding stuffed animal under right arm) after 1940

This portrait by Paul Gittings captures a child with blond hair, clutching a stuffed animal. It’s an image, made with light and shadow, a dance of grayscale tones. Looking at this, I imagine Gittings carefully composing the scene, maybe coaxing a shy smile from the child. Did he consider how the light fell, shaping the soft contours of the face? I wonder about the surface texture, the slight graininess that gives the image its depth and weight. Maybe there's a hint of sepia, lending it an old-timey feel. The child's tender gesture of holding the stuffed animal makes me think about how we all, as humans, look for comfort in the world. I think about artists like Alice Neel who make portraits that feel raw, real, and so very human. It’s all one big conversation, isn’t it? Every artist building on the thoughts and marks of those who came before, each adding their own voice to the mix. This portrait is one of those voices.