In Susan Sontag鈥檚 seminal collection of essays,聽On Photography (1977), she states: 鈥淧hotographs are a way of imprisoning reality 鈥 One can鈥檛 possess reality, one can possess images 鈥 one can鈥檛 possess the present, but one can possess the past.鈥
With this in mind, all images are frameworks. They offer a version of a particular moment, as Sontag posits, that we can never really 鈥減ossess鈥 or understand in all its entirety. We can only 鈥渟ee鈥 what the photographer allows us to, in the same way that we can only 鈥減erceive鈥 that which our body allows.聽
For many Magnum photographers,聽windows play with a sense of freedom and the boundary lines between public and private; outside and inside. These concepts feel increasingly relevant as we head into a second surge of Covid-19 cases and nationwide curfews.
Aesthetica‘s Assistant Editor, Kate Simpson, curates a collection of images from Magnum’s archive, considering the acts of looking and seeing between public and private worlds.
To read the full article on Magnum, click here.
Credits:
1. Alex Majoli,聽USA. NYC. June 21st, 2017.漏 Alex Majoli/Magnum Photos.
2.Christopher Anderson,聽USA. NYC. 2016. Tatyana Enkin and Warren Estis at their home on the 86th floor of the Trump Tower at United Nations Plaza. 漏 Christopher Anderson/Magnum Photos.聽
3. Christopher Anderson, USA. Brooklyn, NY. 2009. Marion on bed. From the book SON (2012). 漏 Christopher Anderson/Magnum Photos.
