Untitled (bust length portrait of man in suit and fedora hat) after 1940

This gelatin silver print is a portrait by Paul Gittings of a man in a suit and fedora hat. The high contrast gives the image an element of drama, and maybe a slightly old-fashioned feel? I love that! I can almost hear the camera shutter snapping. I imagine Gittings carefully arranging the lighting to cast shadows and highlights on the man's face and hat, really emphasizing his features. There’s a subtle blur that softens the edges, making the man’s features not totally realistic. It’s more of a feeling than a photographic record. It’s almost like the portrait painters of the past - Sargent, Manet - are in dialogue with Gittings here. Artists are always looking back, borrowing, and remixing. And that’s how painting – and photography – stays alive.