Don Sledge and Moses Austin 2012

In Dawoud Bey’s diptych, Don Sledge and Moses Austin, two figures sit against a hazy background. One older, one younger. Both are African American men. I wonder what it’s like to be Bey, finding these sitters, framing the shot just so, waiting for the right moment to click the shutter. I imagine him in the darkroom, coaxing these images into being, adjusting the contrast, letting the details emerge slowly. Look at the way the light falls on their faces, highlighting the planes of their cheeks and the set of their jaws. And the backgrounds, slightly out of focus, but still present, like memories or dreams. These are quiet pictures, but they speak volumes about history, identity, and the act of seeing itself. The old man in a suit, the boy in casual wear, the chairs they sit in - all these details are carefully chosen. It reminds me of the kind of conversations artists have across generations. Bey references the old masters, but he does so with his own unique voice, creating something entirely new.