Paul 1973

Joan Cassis made this photograph called 'Paul' using black and white film. It's got this really interesting way of looking at the subject, kind of raw, like it was all about capturing a moment. I love how the shadows play in this image, particularly the way the light falls on the boy. The way the shadow from the doorknob is positioned makes the light look like it is part of the boy. The texture of the wall and the door also really draws you in – there's something so real and unpolished about it. You can almost feel the roughness of the surfaces. The high contrast also draws the eye. It reminds me of the way Nan Goldin captures these super intimate moments, except Cassis is doing it with a sort of stark simplicity. It's a reminder that art doesn't always have to be perfect or polished to be deeply moving. It's about what it makes you feel, and this piece definitely has a lot of feeling.