Untitled (pie smashed in girl's face) 1955

Curator: Today we're looking at a work by Jack Gould, "Untitled (pie smashed in girl's face)." It's a gelatin silver print, and quite small, just a few inches square. Editor: It's startling. The dark and light contrasts are so strong, and the action is frozen, giving it an almost violent feel despite the absurdity. Curator: The grainy texture and high contrast amplify the raw energy of the moment. The artist uses the photographic medium to capture a very fleeting, messy act. Editor: I'm also struck by the visible border of the film. It reminds me of the materiality of the image itself, a document of a specific performance or event. One wonders about the context, the labor of producing the pie, the consumption inherent in the act. Curator: Precisely. The starkness lends it a certain timeless quality, but the visible film edge roots it in a particular era of photographic practice. Editor: Yes, a compelling tension between the immediate and the enduring. Something about the materiality of the work helps ground it.