Untitled, France (Family of Miners series) 1981

Milton Rogovin took this photograph of a French miner as part of his "Family of Miners" series. The image feels like a painting. Like a dark charcoal drawing or maybe an etching, the lines are so defined. The miner's face tells a story of hard work and resilience, all those tiny lines and wrinkles etched in like the marks of a printing plate. I bet Milton saw a beauty in that, a kind of brutal elegance, you know? Rogovin must have wanted to capture something real about the lives of these workers. I imagine him carefully positioning the miner, making sure the light caught his face just right. The coal dust, the worn clothes, the intense gaze…it all adds up to a powerful portrait. It reminds me of those old WPA photographs from the Depression era in the US. The photographs feel similarly sympathetic, finding beauty and dignity in the everyday lives of ordinary people. Ultimately, the conversation between these images offers something profoundly human and real.