Henry Ford 1918

Fred Hartsook made this photograph of Henry Ford; it's hard to date exactly, but it shows a pretty direct approach to image-making, right? I love the way the artist added to the surface of this print. The contrast between the photographic image and the marks around the edge. It's a mix of soft gradations in the face and then these bold, almost aggressive strokes of paint. Look at how the artist has framed Ford's face with a hard-edged circle, setting it off from the scribbles in the background. The surface is almost like a battleground. It reminds me of Picabia, who also loved to layer images and marks, and wasn't afraid to mess with conventional portraiture. Ultimately, it’s about how we keep re-interpreting images, adding our own layer to the story. It reminds us that seeing is never a passive thing.