Joe Watching Sesame Street, West Newton, Massachusetts c. 1973

Joanne Leonard made this photograph, Joe Watching Sesame Street, West Newton, Massachusetts, at an undetermined date. It’s a black and white image, which flattens the scene and brings a particular focus to the grainy textures and tonal range. It's interesting how the fuzzy texture of the carpet contrasts with the smooth, hard surfaces of the TV and the glass door. There’s something about the way the light falls in this image that draws me in; it’s so uneven. It creates a kind of map across the surface of the image, pulling me this way and that. Look at how it illuminates Joe’s stomach, bisecting his body in an unexpected way. For me, this image makes me think of work by artists like Larry Clark, who also worked with photography to capture intimate and unvarnished moments from real life. Both artists embrace the beauty and complexity of the everyday, and remind us that art doesn't always have to be about grand gestures or epic subjects. Sometimes, it’s the small, quiet moments that speak the loudest.