Untitled (group portrait of boys with priest) 1959

Curator: This is an untitled photograph by John Deusing, residing in the Harvard Art Museums. It measures about 20 by 25 centimeters. Editor: At first glance, it's a bit eerie, like a ghostly gathering. I'm getting a strong sense of formality, but also a slightly unsettling, otherworldly vibe. Curator: Note the rigid symmetry and the repetition of figures. Deusing has carefully constructed the composition to emphasize the group's collective identity, a unified, yet anonymous whole. Editor: That uniformity is almost suffocating. Is it me, or is there a hint of defiance in some of those eyes? Like they're kids playing dress-up but secretly plotting rebellion. Curator: The reversed tonality challenges our perception of light and shadow, complicating the narrative. It invites a deeper reading into the symbolic weight of these figures. Editor: Right, it's like looking at the world through a negative, a mirror image of expectations. Makes you wonder what's really going on beneath the surface. Curator: Exactly. Deusing's work prompts questions rather than providing answers, doesn't it? Editor: It certainly does. I'm walking away with more questions than I came in with. Intriguing!