Nudist Lady with Swan Sunglasses 1965

Diane Arbus made this gelatin silver print, Nudist Lady with Swan Sunglasses. It's a photograph, so the marks are about light, not paint, but its still a process of image making. The surface is matte, no shine to it, and the tones move from light to dark pretty smoothly. I notice the woman's hand on her hip, it creates a curve that echoes the sunglasses. I mean, what are those sunglasses? Swan sunglasses? But then the background has these big blurry bushes, which is very painterly. They are soft like fur. It reminds me of Van Gogh's bushes, you know? Arbus wasn't interested in easy answers or perfect beauty, but this photo, it's totally beautiful, with its weirdness. And it makes you wonder what you're even looking at, or why. Isn't that great?