Untitled (twelve photographs: portraits of Cuban revolutionaries) after 1959

Editor: This is Lester Cole's "Untitled (twelve photographs: portraits of Cuban revolutionaries)" from the Harvard Art Museums. It’s a contact sheet, roughly 10 by 8 inches. What strikes me is how it gives us candid glimpses into these revolutionaries' lives, both formal and informal. What do you make of it? Curator: It’s fascinating how Cole captures these figures. Look at the context – presumably this was taken during the Cuban Revolution. Note the contrast between posed portraits and more intimate moments. Consider the role of photography itself in shaping perceptions of the Revolution. Editor: So, the photographer isn't just documenting, but also participating in creating a narrative? Curator: Precisely. What story do you think these images are trying to tell, and for whom? And how might the choices in composition and subject matter reinforce certain political messages? Editor: It really makes you think about the power of images in shaping history, and how easily they can be used to promote a specific ideology. Curator: Indeed. Thinking about the image this way encourages us to see it as a historical artifact, actively involved in the cultural landscape of its time.