Untitled (man surrounded by crowd) c. 1950

This small photograph by Robert Burian captures a crowd surrounding a man outdoors. The inverted tones of the black-and-white image create a sense of surrealism. I wonder what Burian was thinking when he made this; it’s like a dream, or maybe a memory from a half-remembered newsreel. There is a really interesting tension between the figures in the foreground and the ones in the background, which are more blurry and indistinct. It's hard to decipher, but that’s also what makes it intriguing. The photograph offers a kind of surface that is not immediate, but unfolds gradually as you look. It feels like Burian is inviting us to piece together a fragmented narrative, embracing uncertainty and ambiguity. I find myself wondering, how might the act of seeing itself be a way of knowing, feeling, and experiencing the world?