Rennie Booher, Danville, Virginia Possibly 1972 - 1979

Emmet Gowin made this gelatin silver print, “Rennie Booher, Danville, Virginia,” sometime in the last century, but the exact date isn’t specified. It's a black and white photograph of a deceased woman in a coffin. The grayscale gives the image a timeless quality, like an old memory or a faded dream. Notice how the light catches the folds of the satin lining, creating a play of shadows and highlights. The contrast is so sharp, and makes the scene feel almost hyperreal. Gowin’s use of a wide-angle lens distorts the perspective, pulling you into the scene. The photograph has the quietness of Walker Evans, but the emotionality of someone like Diane Arbus. It invites us to contemplate mortality and the way we memorialize the departed. It's a poignant exploration of life, death, and memory, but somehow the focus on the patterns and light creates an aesthetic experience which transcends its sombre subject matter.