Untitled (girl wearing performance costume, white gloves and feather headdress seated in front of window) after 1940

This is an untitled photograph by Paul Gittings, showing a girl in costume. Look at the grain of the image, the way it captures light and shadow. It makes me think of how a painter builds up layers, each mark contributing to the whole. The girl's costume is all about surface and texture: sequins, feathers, lace. Each element catches the light differently. It reminds me of the way we layer meaning and experience onto our own identities, creating a kind of personal performance. Look at the window blinds behind her: how they divide the image into distinct planes. It's as if the girl is both on display and somehow shielded, a little like a painting itself. This photograph’s play with texture and identity reminds me of Cindy Sherman’s work. Both artists are interested in how we construct ourselves through image and artifice. It shows us that art can be a space where we play with meaning, embracing the idea that nothing is ever quite fixed or fully defined.