Dinner Time at Mr. Hercules Brown's Home, Somerville, Maine 1944

Gordon Parks made this black and white photograph, Dinner Time at Mr. Hercules Brown's Home, in Somerville, Maine, sometime in the mid-20th century. The image is made of up many different shades of grey, moving from light to dark in a way that almost feels like brushstrokes. Parks really focuses on the everyday, the way the light falls on a crowded table, the soft fabric of the tablecloth. Look closely at the faces, the gentle hands of the woman feeding the child, the way the light catches the silverware. There is a rhythm to all the busy-ness, and a sense of peace. It’s very different than a posed shot; we see the gesture and posture of unguarded, intimate moments. Parks’ attention to detail reminds me of the Ashcan School painters, like John Sloan, who captured New York City life with a similar tender eye. But unlike painting, photography has the power to capture a moment in time in its entirety, while also holding space for ambiguity. It’s a powerful thing.