Macki with Red Rose Possibly 1989 - 1994

Editor: Jim Goldberg’s black and white photograph, "Macki with Red Rose," made sometime between 1989 and 1994, has a cool yet melancholy feel. The young person's gaze is so intense and it draws me in! What is your take on this, what do you see in it? Curator: Oh, this piece speaks volumes to me! I see a challenge to the traditional romanticism of the rose. Here, in Goldberg's lens, it's less a symbol of effortless beauty and more… complicated. The direct stare combined with the rose, slightly faded maybe? Suggests a confrontation, doesn't it? Like a thorny love story in the making. What do you feel about the setting of a photograph as portrait? Does that inform the photo or simply situate it in place? Editor: The urban background does add to the tension, I think. It's like beauty juxtaposed against…reality? A sort of Romeo and Juliet vibe. Did the use of black and white affect its meaning? Curator: Absolutely. Stripping away the color puts the emphasis squarely on form, texture, and that unwavering gaze. It also evokes a timeless quality, doesn't it? Almost like a memory fading in and out. Do you notice the slightly grainy quality of the print? This is part of its narrative for me as it references a lived life with complexity and imperfections. Editor: So, it’s like Goldberg is using the rose and the black and white to make a statement, a sort of challenge to classical beauty. Curator: Precisely! It invites us to question easy assumptions and look for the complexities beneath the surface. Don't you find that exciting? Editor: Totally! It’s shown me to expect the unexpected in art and its narrative! Curator: And isn't that the most rewarding part? Keep looking, keep questioning!