Further explore the exhibition’s theme of semi-visibility through a slow-looking exercise related to this work.

Transcript
Narrator: Upon first glance, it is difficult to decipher a figure, much less a facial expression, in "Untitled 4 (Facial Expression)" by John Edmonds. This solarized gelatin silver print, dated to 2018, is a portrait measuring 12 inches wide by 15 inches tall. It appears deep black with only a few faint silver outlines distinguishing any forms or details, a result of reexposure during the original photograph’s development process.

Through slow deciphering, it appears to be a darkened photograph of a man’s head and folded arms in front of him, propped up on something. He has a tall forehead, high hairline, and close-cropped hair. His lowered eyes, hooded with long lashes, appear nearly closed. He has a medium-stubble beard along the chin line and upper lip. His head is upright, with arms crossed in front of him and placed upon a high surface so his chin rests lightly on his arms. His forearms, which seem to rest along the lower edge of the picture plane, are muscular and appear particularly large in perspective, being nearer to the camera lens when the photograph was taken.

In reading the facial expression, one might interpret the figure’s expression in various ways. He might appear somewhat expressionless or serene, with lowered eyes and closed lips projecting a calm moment of rest. Or his brow might appear slightly furrowed in concentration, set over downcast eyes and pursed lips, evoking a withdrawn expression or somber mood.

Across the surface of the print, light silver lines distinguish boundaries between dark areas and deeper shadows. The overall darkness in the piece obscures and plays with the subtleties of the barely perceptible facial expression of the subject.

Ver todos los episodios