Roy DeCarava (19191-2009) “Dancers (Harlem)”, 1955

#somereallygoodones, # roydecarava, #dancers

This image by Roy DeCarava doesn’t invite you to dance with it because it is dancing already.

DeCarava liked his prints very dark with a bright accent. The music is subdued. The figures exist completely in silhouette: phantoms of the dance floor. The dark cut outs act like full note rests of silence in the music which will continue after a moment of hesitation.

Couples in photographs behave very differently from portraits of individuals. With couples there is always a story or dynamic. We as the viewer are interrupting the proceedings. It’s different; our imaginations are engaged differently. What do these two men have to do with each other. Even with pictures of strangers, the actors act with and react to each other.

There is real physicality in the dancers; it may be a fight for territory The man on the right is almost menacing in his pose; the man on the left seems oddly delicate (the hands). We don’t have enough information about the scene. It seems like more than dancing. They are oblivious to the trio or whatever on the left that reminds us that there are also people watching on the right. The dancers feel like thy are alone, but they’re not.

The extreme darkness is almost like a place the dancers will disappear into if they wish; they are dancing on the edge of something otherly.

#somereallygoodones, #theunseeneye, #wmhunt, #collectiondancingbear, #collectionblindpirate, #greatphotographs, #howilookatphotographs, #photographsfromtheunconsicous, #christies, #sansregard, #aperture, #thames&hudson, #actesud, #collectingislikerunningaroundinathunderstormhopingyoullbehitbylightning, #aphotographsogooditmakesyoufart- #roydecarava, #dancers, #harlem