Red Jackson by Gordon Parks 1948

Red Jackson by Gordon Parks

The Red Jackson photograph by Gordon Parks sent me into a whirlwind of reactions from the first time I saw it. Encountering this black and white masterpiece in the Metropolitan Museum of Art feels like a lucky break at first. It’s a thoughtful photographic version of a Vermeer that’s still fresh today, even though it’s …

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Trolley New Orleans by Robert Frank, 1955

Trolley New Orleans by Robert Frank

Why is the Robert Frank photograph Trolley New Orleans so important?

– Segregated seating in black and white
– A complex framework of composition
– Truth, hard work, and hope

Nude Descending a Staircase No 2 – Marcel Duchamp

Nude Descending a Staircase No 2 - Marcel Duchamp

How did Duchamp’s painting Nude Descending a Staircase No 2 set the art world ablaze?

– Abhorred and adored all at once
– Nudity without critical comprehension
– Changing a turn of the century outlook