Nora Kenneally, widow, County Clare, Ireland  1954

Dorothea Lange made this photograph, Nora Kenneally, widow, County Clare, Ireland, with a camera, of course. I look at this image and think about what it means to witness, to really see someone. Lange has caught a moment of such quiet intensity. The light and shadow play across the room, the textures of the wall, the woman's hands clasped in her lap – it all feels so deliberately composed, but not in a way that feels staged. More like a deep respect for the subject. I wonder what Lange was thinking, feeling, as she took this photo. Was she aware of the power of her gaze, the responsibility of capturing someone's essence? There's a kind of unspoken dialogue happening here. It reminds me that all art-making, whether painting or photography, is about connection, a conversation across time and space. We are always in dialogue with one another.