Portrait of a Woman, Estoril, Portugal 1950

Gordon Parks captured this portrait of a woman in Estoril, Portugal, with his camera, using light and shadow to sculpt her presence. Look at the texture in that fur stole; Parks coaxes so much detail from the darkroom, that you can almost feel the density of the hairs. The high contrast and silvery tones give the image a glamorous yet gritty feel, the composition hints at a narrative beyond the frame. I'm drawn to the way the light catches the rim of her glasses, a small highlight that brings focus to her gaze and creates a visual echo with the glass of something fizzy sitting in the foreground. Parks has a knack for making social commentary feel really immediate and human, and this piece, in its elegant way, reminds me of the sharp observation in the work of Lisette Model. It feels like a moment suspended, an unspoken story hanging in the air.