New York c. 1962 - 1979

Garry Winogrand made this photograph, called New York, at an undetermined date using an analogue camera. The grayscale image captures a moment of connection, or perhaps disconnection, through gesture. The rough texture of the elephant's trunk, rendered in stark detail, contrasts with the smoothness of the human hand. You can almost feel the difference in their skin. The tonality is gorgeous, the blacks deep and the grays subtle. It gives the image a timeless quality, like an old memory. Winogrand was really interested in capturing fleeting moments of life, the kind of off-kilter compositions and unexpected juxtapositions you find in the everyday. Looking at this photograph, I'm reminded of the work of Diane Arbus, who also sought to capture the beauty and strangeness of the world around her. Both artists encourage us to embrace the ambiguity and multiple interpretations of the world.