Madrid, 2004, on the Paseo del Prado Possibly 2004 - 2014

Leo Rubinfien made this photograph in Madrid in 2004, right on the Paseo del Prado. It's a black and white image, and you can just feel the city's heat and hustle, can't you? I keep thinking about that moment when Rubinfien saw this woman, right? What was she thinking, standing there with that look on her face, the light catching her jewelry just so. It's all about texture, isn't it? The smoothness of her jacket, the way the light kind of etches lines on her face. And the angle, too - slightly off, just enough to make you wonder about the rest of the scene, what's just out of frame. Rubinfien isn't just snapping a picture; he's setting up a whole world for us to wander into. It’s like he’s saying, 'Here’s a moment, a feeling, now you take it and run with it.' It’s what all us artists do, really.