André Kertész at Long Island University, Brooklyn, New York 1969

David Vestal made this photograph, André Kertész at Long Island University, using light and shadow to create a sense of depth and mystery, almost like a stage set. I wonder if it was staged or not? You can almost feel the presence of the photographer lurking, just like his subject, André Kertész, who is peeking out from behind the brick pillar, hand raised, either waving or warding us off. The dark brick wall looms, bisected by the black void of the doorway, it makes me think of Barnett Newman's zips – this photo is like a black and white version with brick texture! The composition is so striking, it's as if Vestal is exploring the push and pull between light and dark, presence and absence, maybe even between the act of seeing and being seen. Like an inside joke between artists, a passing of the baton of influence across time, or a conspiracy. Vestal’s work makes me think about how we see each other, and ourselves, always filtered through layers of light, shadow, and perception, and how artists make that visible.