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

Marilyn (Vanitas) by Audrey Flack

Marilyn (Vanitas) by Audrey Flack

How did the 1977 painting Marilyn (Vanitas) help pioneer Superrealism/Photorealism?

– Time, death, and masks
– Candle in the Wind 1973 & 1977
– A real woman lost long ago