The Cause of World War II, 1939-1945 c. 1935

Constance Stuart Larrabee made this photograph of Hitler, sometime between 1939 and 1945. The composition is really interesting, a study in light and dark, where the grey tones create a sense of foreboding. Look at how Larrabee uses the camera’s eye to frame Hitler amidst his followers. The sea of saluting arms on the right, contrasted with the figures on the left, creates a rhythm, a march towards something. The depth of field is shallow, focusing our attention on the figure at the center, the "cause" perhaps. I’m struck by the immediacy of this photograph, like a raw, unedited thought. It reminds me a little of Gerhard Richter’s approach to difficult subject matter, using greyscale to somehow both reveal and conceal. Art doesn’t offer simple answers; it provides a space to keep questioning.