Field Workers, Angola, Louisiana 19 - 1999

Deborah Luster made this tintype, called Field Workers, Angola, Louisiana, with a camera and darkroom chemicals. There's a milky, dreamy quality to the whole thing, like an old photograph, or something remembered. I can almost smell the darkroom chemicals. You get the sense that the artist coaxed the image into being, shifting and emerging through trial, error, and intuition. I imagine Deborah Luster holding her breath, willing the image to appear, playing with the light. It's like she is saying: "I see you, I recognize your humanity, and I want to share that with the world." The subjects, the light, the materials, everything contributes to the emotional and intellectual resonances of the work. Artists are always in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. This image embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.