Untitled 1982

Larry Fink made this photograph, in black and white, with film and light and chemistry, sometime in the last century. Fink, like many artists, is deeply interested in the way social rituals, or any kind of gathering, can reveal hidden aspects of human behaviour. Look at the way the light falls across the faces of these men, catching the planes of their cheeks and brows. The tonal range feels dramatic, even theatrical. Notice, too, the way the sharpness of focus changes across the image. The face of the man on the left is blurred at the edges, his gesture caught mid-motion, while the man in the centre is pin sharp, every detail of his suit and glasses rendered with forensic detail. This isn't a neutral record. It's a constructed reality, one which embraces ambiguity and invites multiple interpretations, like all great works of art. Think of Garry Winogrand or Diane Arbus, for a similar approach to social documentary.