Leskelődő (Onlooker) c. 1930s

This photograph called ‘Leskelődő’, or ‘Onlooker’, was made by Anna Barna, though we don't know exactly when. There’s something funny about the serious business of looking, and how it is mediated by barriers. The texture of the wall, rendered in cool greys and the sharp shadows, feels heavy. A person is standing on a chair, trying to see something over a high wall. Are they trying to get a better view, or trying not to be seen? The shadow on the wall takes on a life of its own, becoming a caricatured silhouette of a nosey neighbor. The contrast here is fantastic, because Barna doesn't give us easy answers, she hints at things, and encourages us to make our own minds up. It reminds me of the quiet subversiveness of someone like Claude Cahun, who plays with identity and representation in a similar way. In the end, it is the image’s ambiguity that keeps us looking.