Groepsfoto van een verkleed gezelschap Possibly 1912

Augusta Curiel made this photograph, "Groepsfoto van een verkleed gezelschap", presumably with a camera and a glass plate negative. It's a group portrait in costume, and the way the light hits the faces makes it feel immediate, like a moment caught rather than staged. The material presence of the photograph – its glossy sheen, the way the tones shift in the light – all speak to the process behind it. Look at the gentleman in the center. He's seated, with a handlebar mustache and dressed in a slightly too-small suit. The textures in his beard are palpable, almost tactile. This area shows a careful attention to the details of character and dress. You can sense the care and patience that went into developing the image. Curiel’s work reminds me of that of Seydou Keïta, another photographer who captured portraits of everyday people with an incredible sensitivity. Both artists embrace the beauty of the mundane and find poetry in the real. It’s a good reminder that art is an ongoing conversation, a way of seeing and being in the world that continues to evolve.