Untitled (little girl leaning over with hands on knees, looking at carpet) c. 1955

This is an untitled photograph by Paul Gittings, its date is unknown. The eye is drawn to the interplay between light and shadow, a formal tension that structures the composition. The young girl is caught in a moment of curious inspection; the darkroom manipulation heightens the scene’s surreal quality. Her posture is echoed by the looming adult figures, frozen in their actions, their gestures and presence rendered ghostly. The composition teeters between realism and staged artifice, this tension is mirrored by the photograph’s material presence as a reproduced image, a signifier of reality, and its manipulation into an uncanny and ethereal vision. Ultimately, the artwork resists easy categorization, challenging conventional notions of portraiture and inviting ongoing interpretation.