Untitled (photograph of a woman in profile in front of checkered background) c. 1940

This is an undated photograph by Paul Gittings at the Harvard Art Museums. The contrast between the woman's head in profile and the checkered background immediately draws the eye. The face, rendered in delicate grayscale tones, offers a soft, human form against the rigid geometric pattern. The composition creates a play between order and individuality, inviting a structuralist interpretation. The checkered background may serve as a grid, a system of signs. Here, the woman's face can be seen as a signifier within this system. Does the grid normalize or highlight the woman, or does the woman disrupt the grid? Ultimately, the photograph’s semiotic complexity lies in its form. It makes us ponder the relationship between the individual and the structures that frame our understanding. It’s a reminder that art doesn't present fixed meanings, but prompts us to question and decode.