Subway Portrait

Walker Evans made this photograph, Subway Portrait, without a date, probably using a hidden camera on the New York City subway. It's a bit like catching a fleeting moment, isn't it? The tones are subtle, mostly blacks and grays, and it has a grainy quality, giving it a feeling of reality, like a memory. The light is soft, not too sharp, making the faces of the woman and child gentle. The woman’s face is caught in profile and she is looking out the frame. The child's face is turned towards us and its expression is unreadable. Evans documented everyday life, focusing on ordinary subjects, but he was also influenced by Eugène Atget, known for his photographs of Parisian streets. This portrait, with its intimate feel, almost as if it were a stolen moment, is also like a painting by someone like Fairfield Porter. They both see the beauty and the quiet poetry in the everyday. Ultimately, art is about seeing – and making us see – the world in new ways.