The Fork 1928

Here's a photograph by Andre Kertesz of a humble fork in simple monochrome. I can imagine him there in the darkroom, coaxing it into being. It’s just a fork, right? And a plate. But look how they sit on that blank surface like actors on a stage. The light, oh that light – it’s so stark it hurts. It casts a shadow, sharp as a knife, mimicking the shape of the fork but slightly off, like a clumsy echo. I bet Kertesz wasn’t thinking about forks. He was thinking about light, about form, about how to make the ordinary sing. And that’s the thing about art, isn't it? It's a conversation. Kertesz is talking to us, talking to other artists, about seeing the world in a new way. He’s saying, "Look! Even a fork can be beautiful, can be profound, if you just pay attention."