Applicants waiting for jobs in front of FERA offices 1935

This photograph, "Applicants waiting for jobs in front of FERA offices," was taken by Ben, who was born in 1935. Looking at this scene, I imagine Ben positioning his camera, perhaps feeling a sense of responsibility to document the moment. The people waiting there, their poses speak of a quiet desperation. You can almost feel the weight of their uncertainty. There's a stillness in the composition, a quiet tension that seems to hang in the air. I wonder about Ben's intentions, and what he felt as he framed this shot. He was close in age to some of the men in this shot. Did he imagine himself in their place? As painters, we have a similar task of representing the world, and as artists born in similar times, we share a connection through our work. Photography and painting are in constant dialogue and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity.