New York City 1953

Elliott Erwitt took this photograph in New York City, with what must have been a very quiet camera. I wonder what it was like being in this room when Erwitt found it. All the players are here: the cat, the baby, the mother—all resting together, but each separate, each lost in their own dream world. What was Erwitt hoping to find? What did he want to record of this domestic scene? The cat is in command of the composition, looking off into the middle distance like it owns the place—which, of course, it does. The baby is small and unknowable, a tiny human curled up in its sleep. The mother, her face buried in the pillow, seems to have reached the end of her tether; maybe she's dreaming of something better. It's interesting to think of his other photographs of dogs. What do animals bring to the human condition? Artists, we’re all in conversation. It's a constant exchange of ideas, inspiring each other's creativity, across time, through embodied expression, embracing ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.