Tokyo, 2002, at Shibuya Station Possibly 2002 - 2014

Leo Rubinfien made this photograph in Tokyo at Shibuya Station in 2002. He’s showing us a slice of life, a seemingly random moment in a bustling public space. What strikes me most is the color, or rather, the way the tones interact, like watching paint dry. Rubinfien uses color to build up this image, a kind of psychological portrait. The soft pinks in the girl’s cheeks contrast with the cool grays of the background, and how the light catches the wisps of her hair, like she’s a statue on a cake. There's a real sense of immediacy here. The faces in the background are blurred, while she is right there, a specific person. I think Rubinfien is playing with this idea of the individual versus the crowd, a theme that connects back to earlier photographers like August Sander. This photo, like all good art, is really about that space in between, the conversation that opens up when you really look.