Pleasures and Terrors of Levitation #14 1957

Aaron Siskind made this photograph, Pleasures and Terrors of Levitation #14, using a camera, sometime in the twentieth century. In this work, the body is presented as a site of pure form. Look at how the light falls across the diver’s back, the subtle gradations of tone, from deep shadow to near white. The bodies’ curve is echoed by the arc of the arms, creating an almost musical rhythm. I'm struck by the hands, the way they're reaching out, fingers splayed. The soft blur of the skin is offset by the sharp detail of the fingers and toenails, a reminder of the physical strain involved. The stark monochrome emphasizes the abstract quality of the image, reducing the figure to a study of shape and light. It's like the photographic equivalent of a Franz Kline painting, all dynamic energy and bold composition. Siskind's work reminds me of Harry Callahan. Both photographers found beauty in the everyday, transforming ordinary subjects into something extraordinary.