Woman, Patzcuaro Possibly 1933 - 1967

Paul Strand made this photograph, "Woman, Patzcuaro," sometime in the first half of the twentieth century. It’s a study in texture, a real tactile experience even though it’s just a photo. Look at the way the light catches on the woven basket, how each strand has its own shadow. And then, there’s the woman’s shawl, its rough weave a stark contrast to the smoothness of her face. That face, caught in a moment of contemplation, is what really holds me. Strand is playing with light and dark, but also with different kinds of making; the woven basket, the woven shawl, and the way he has created the image itself. I think of other photographers like Dorothea Lange, who were also interested in the texture of everyday life, in the way that objects and faces could tell a story. It’s like a conversation across time.