Texas State Fair, Dallas c. 1964 - 1979

This is a black and white photograph of the Texas State Fair in Dallas by Garry Winogrand. I love how Winogrand captures moments that feel both spontaneous and carefully composed. You can see this in the way the light falls across the ground, creating this wedge shape that divides the space. There is a fascinating tension between the foreground and background in this piece, I feel like I'm drawn into the lives of the men squatting in the dirt. But also I'm aware of the animals in the pen. It feels very tactile to me; I can almost feel the grit of the dirt and the weight of the air. In a weird way, this work puts me in mind of Lee Friedlander’s work; that same snapshot aesthetic, that same interest in the strange beauty of everyday life. It's a reminder that art is all about seeing the world in new and unexpected ways.