Berlin after 1989

James Nachtwey made this photograph, titled "Berlin," using black and white film and his camera to capture a scene that’s really about barriers. The picture plane is divided up into three horizontal sections: the sky, the barbed wire, and the wall. The sky is murky, indistinct, so the only way through is over the wall and past the barbed wire. Then there’s that hand, reaching up from behind the wall, fingers splayed, like a last-ditch attempt at holding on. The wall itself is aged and crumbling, stained by rain, and in front of it the menacing wire. Nachtwey is known for his unflinching approach to documenting conflict and its impact, and though I'm familiar with much of his work, this photo reminds me of the earlier work of Robert Capa. Both photographers are interested in how a single, decisive, moment can communicate much larger ideas about humanity, struggle, and the will to survive. There’s not necessarily one way to feel when we look at this picture, and that ambiguity is part of its strength.