Untitled (woman with horse) c. 1950

Editor: This photograph, called Untitled (woman with horse) by John Howell, shows a woman posed with a horse. It looks like a photographic negative, which gives it an eerie feel. What can you tell me about it? Curator: The presentation as a negative immediately politicizes the image, doesn't it? Inverting the expected tonalities makes us question the presented reality. What power structures are at play when we consider representation and access? Editor: So, it's not just a stylistic choice, but a statement about power? Curator: Exactly. Whose image are we seeing, and who controls how we see it? This flips traditional portraiture on its head and asks us to think about the construction of the American West, for example, and how it represents women. Editor: I see, it challenges the usual narrative. Thanks, that’s a new way to look at it. Curator: Indeed, art encourages us to question everything.