Charles Randall, Angola, Louisiana 18 - 1999

This is Deborah Luster’s portrait of Charles Randall at Angola, Louisiana, and it's not a painting, it’s a photograph. But let's think about photography like painting, anyway. It’s made on a plate, and it has the look of something antique, even though Luster is a contemporary artist. Imagine her in the field, that darkroom of hers, mixing chemicals, waiting, watching as the image slowly surfaces. It’s physical, alchemical, risky. I wonder what Charles was thinking as he sat for her. Was he nervous, proud, sad? His expression is gentle, a little quizzical. Look at the surface of the plate, those scratches and imperfections. They’re like brushstrokes, adding texture and depth to the image, making it feel handmade. Luster is like other photographers who think about time, loss, and memory. She’s using an old process to capture something raw and real, but also timeless. She reminds us that even though we try to capture things perfectly, there’s always going to be some ambiguity, some mystery left. And that’s where the beauty is, right?