Untitled (small child seated on chair, holding silver cup) after 1940

This photograph by Paul Gittings captures a small child holding a silver cup. The image has a dreamy quality with a monochromatic palette of greys and blacks and soft blurs. I imagine the photographer asking the child to sit very still, maybe they were impatient or a little fidgety? You can almost see them resisting being in that chair, wanting to be running around outside playing. What could they have been thinking when they made this? It’s interesting how the silver cup becomes a focal point. The texture of the cup contrasts with the softness of the child's dress, creating a tactile and sensory experience. Gittings is inviting us to see the world through a child's eye, inviting us to respond in metaphorical and emotional ways. The ongoing conversation between artists across time and place is fascinating. Each work inspires another, sparking new ideas and ways of seeing. I believe this work embraces uncertainty, allowing each of us to find our own interpretation and meaning.