Washington, D.C. Sitting beneath the emblem of the crucifixion of Jesus on Calvary. Two members of the St. Martin's Spiritual Church listen and pray. after 1942

Gordon Parks made this gelatin silver print, showing members of the St. Martin's Spiritual Church in Washington D.C. The grayscale is so rich, it almost feels like color. Parks wasn't just snapping a picture; he was building a world, carefully choosing what to show us and what to leave in shadow. It’s a dance of light and dark that gives the image its depth. Look at the way the light falls on the woman in the white dress. The photo feels both intimate and distant. It reminds me of the way that Kerry James Marshall uses deep blacks to create powerful, yet subtle, portraits. Like Marshall, Parks used the tonal range available to him to represent a complex vision of African American life. It’s a reminder that art is about more than what we see, it's about how we see it.