Chicago, 1961
Gelatin silver print, printed c. 1975
Image size: 6 × 8 ⅞ inches
Signed in pencil on recto
September 9, 2024
Kenneth Josephson made this neatly conceived photograph in 1961, and it shows the strong influence of Chicago's Institute of Design, where he had graduated the year prior. The high contrast composition of urban light and shadow demonstrates his particular admiration for his mentor at the school Harry Callahan. Even while clearly bearing the high modernist stamp of the “Chicago School,” this early picture also evidences the approach that would earn Josephson his reputation as one of the leading voices in the emergence of conceptual photography.
Josephson invites us to watch him think with his camera. He timed this shot in such a way that the light from above—filtered through Chicago's overhead train line—falls like a spotlight on each individual, suggesting the roaming eye of the photographer setting up the shot. The resulting image is a fine early example of Josephson's cerebral yet playful examination of the process of picture creation, and the sequence of nearly subconscious decisions that go into organizing information within a camera's frame.
