[Photography] 250 Words on Roy DeCarava @ David Zwirner

A narrow, hollow white hall from the main entrance area of the David Zwirner gallery leads to other white halls of an exhibition. Black and white photographs each carefully framed in white emphasize Roy DeCarava’s collection of oeuvres. His perception of the city through the lens of his camera delivers life stories more powerfully than any word could ever express.

In “Percy Heath. 1957” DeCarava captures a left hand of a celloist plucking the strings. This particular view where each note is controlled to create sound through a scrutinizing concentration is where celloist connects with her music. It is an area in the process of instrumental playing where their emotional discourse takes. He solely focuses on the most significant touch point.

DeCarava’s use of light through his negatives seems to be another equipment he used to see the beauty of life. In “Hudson River, lights. 1948”, he captures the waving light hitting the surface of the water in grey scale. His techniques in depicting the movement of lights are significantly mesmerizing, considering that most of his works were developed in the early 20th century. The literally, “starring” water is almost blinding to the eye. Through this play of light, sense of life is blown into the image as the journey into this time and place starts to unwind.

DeCarava’s works are true outcomes of his effort to make images that speak more than words. His oeuvres provide a moment to enjoy vicariously, the time of his encounter. DeCarava delivers these series of unspoken and unseen images in his own, unique way.