New York City c. 1960s

This gelatin silver print called New York City, was made by Garry Winogrand sometime in the mid-twentieth century. Look at this image and consider the decisive moment in photography! I wonder, what was Winogrand thinking? What did the city mean to him? Was he just looking for an excuse to get out, roam the streets, and photograph strangers? He, like me, must have been thinking about the relationship between subject and space, people and place. The people in this photograph are arranged in a sort of triangle, each connected but also isolated. They are surrounded by the city: rough, stone walls and metal doors. There's a feeling of urban alienation, a sense of being alone in a crowd, which reminds me of other photographers like Helen Levitt. I think Winogrand was trying to say something about modern life, about the way we interact with each other in public spaces. And like all good artists, he leaves us with more questions than answers.