New York 1987

Rosalind Solomon made this photograph in New York. It looks like a quiet moment, the kind where vulnerability and strength are so close you can't tell them apart. There's a realness here, not just in the black and white tones, but in the lines etched on their faces, in the way the light catches the hospital machinery. I wonder what Solomon was thinking when she framed this shot. Did she see a story of resilience, or one of love, or maybe a mix of both? I bet that she was thinking about mortality and how to face up to it. It reminds me a little of some of the artists I admire like Nan Goldin who fearlessly document their lives and the lives of their friends, holding nothing back. What I think is amazing is that this isn't just a snapshot, it's a way of seeing and of holding onto the moment.