New York City 1970 - 1977

Larry Fink made this photograph, "New York City", using black and white film. You know, it's interesting how a photo can grab a moment, a process of seeing and snagging, much like painting. In this image, the texture of the skin, the way light catches on that brooch, it's all about the physical. See how the shadows pool around the figures, giving everything a kind of weight? It's not just what they look like, but how they exist in space, how the light bounces off them. The graininess reminds me of the messiness of life, like the opposite of those slick, perfect images we're bombarded with. I think of Diane Arbus, also finding beauty in the raw, unpolished corners. It's a reminder that art doesn't need to be clean or easy. It can be a little uncomfortable, a little too close for comfort, and still be true.