Untitled 1993

This black and white photograph, Untitled, was made by Thomas Roma. It captures a moment of powerful collective feeling. Look at the grain in this image, the way the light falls and illuminates certain faces, while leaving others in shadow. It’s not just about capturing a scene, it’s about feeling the weight of the moment, the intensity of the emotions in the room. The composition is so dynamic, a diagonal slash of light cuts across the frame, pulling your eye from the lower left to the upper right, mirroring the gestures of the figures. There’s a hand, raised in blessing, and the microphone cutting through the air, delivering a message. The tonal range is beautiful, from the deepest blacks to the softest grays, creating a sense of depth and texture, a world of light and dark, hope and despair. I see connections to the work of Roy DeCarava, who also explored the emotional terrain of black and white photography with a similar sensitivity and nuance. It reminds us that art is a conversation, a series of echoes and responses across time.