Sugar (Lower West Side series) 1992

Milton Rogovin captured "Sugar" from his Lower West Side series with his camera, freezing a moment in time. I imagine Rogovin setting up his shot, thinking about light and shadow, and how they can tell a story. The black and white flattens the scene, so you start to look at the patterns and shapes – the floral and polka dot shirt, the dark rectangle of the window frame. The figure looks weary but self-possessed. I wonder what it was like for Sugar to be photographed by Rogovin? Was this a stolen moment, or a collaboration between two people? There is a quietness and a sense of melancholy. It reminds me that as an artist, you can be in a place, but not of it, a witness to the lives of others. Artists like Rogovin are in an ongoing conversation with the world, noticing details and sharing them. It's like he's saying, "Hey, look at this, isn't it something?" And it is.