Untitled (man in front of brick house, people looking out of window) 1950

Editor: This is an untitled piece by Jack Gould, a black and white photograph of a man standing in front of a brick house. There are figures peering out of one of the windows, which I find a bit unsettling. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The photograph presents a fascinating interplay of planes and textures. Note how the rigid geometry of the brick facade contrasts with the ambiguous figures in the window, and the lone man. How does the negative image affect your perception? Editor: The reversal makes the man appear ghostly. It's almost like the brick and window are the subjects, and the man is a secondary detail. Curator: Precisely. The composition emphasizes the formal arrangement, inviting consideration of surface and depth, figure and ground, rather than narrative. It is an architecture of forms. Editor: That's a new way to look at it, I was focusing on the people. Thanks for the fresh perspective.