Soldier 1944

Editor: This is James Van Der Zee's "Soldier," a gelatin silver print from 1944. There’s such dignity in this portrait. It's a straightforward composition, but the man’s expression really holds your attention. What do you see in this piece, particularly given the time it was created? Curator: This image pulses with symbolic weight. Look at the uniform – a symbol of service and sacrifice, but also of a nation grappling with its own contradictions during the Second World War. Think about what it meant for an African American man to wear that uniform then. Editor: That’s a powerful point. He’s part of a nation fighting for freedom abroad, while facing discrimination at home. Curator: Precisely. Van Der Zee, documenting the Harlem Renaissance, was acutely aware of the nuances of identity and representation. Consider the backdrop, that mottled texture; it evokes a sense of both timelessness and perhaps the obscured realities faced by many Black Americans at the time. He uses a deliberately simple backdrop so we read more into his gaze and emotion. Editor: The focus is definitely on the man himself. The symbols are subtle, but speak volumes. What a statement. Curator: A powerful statement. Images are never neutral. The soft focus contributes to a dreamlike quality and yet the gaze is direct. Editor: It makes you consider what 'home' and 'nation' really mean when viewed through the eyes of someone experiencing inequality. I am changed, I'll definitely research Van Der Zee further. Curator: Excellent. Photography, like any art, is a powerful act of framing – framing not just a subject, but also the questions we need to keep asking ourselves.