Young Enga Couple, New Guinea 1970

Irving Penn made this black and white photograph, "Young Enga Couple, New Guinea," sometime in the 20th century. It's the tonality that grabs me first, this silvery, almost metallic feel. Look at the way the light catches on their skin. It’s as if they are sculpted from metal. The backdrop has this subtle gradation, soft clouds of gray that make the figures pop. Think about the surface of a photograph; it's so different from a painting, yet Penn coaxes this incredible texture from it. The feathered headdresses, the woven skirts, all rendered in sharp detail, they give the image a tactile quality. But, it’s their hands that really get me, the way they hold each other, so delicate. There’s an interesting parallel between Penn’s work and that of August Sander, both capturing people with such directness, such an unflinching gaze. Is it documentary? Is it art? It’s both, and that’s what makes it so compelling.