A resident of a St. Paul, Minnesota,
home for the blind leans against a fence and lifts her face toward
the sky. Photographer Jerome Liebling moves in close and fills the frame
with this figure, giving her the kind of importance that takes up a lot
of space. Even though there is enough available light to have a greater
depth of field in this photo, Liebling has chosen to selectively focus
on the woman. The effect emphasizes her importance even more.
There is just enough light coming from behind her to light the top of
her head in a subtle halo. But perhaps most dramatic is the womans
expression, recorded at the decisive moment, wrinkling her nose in curiosity,
or perhaps relief at finding a place to rest in the sun. I photographed
in clinics and institutions first in the 1960s and then again in 1975,
and was compelled by the remarkable strength of the people I saw,
wrote Liebling. This extraordinary inner strength can be seen both
in their faces and in their gestures. I believe that the extent to which
a society cares for all its people is a gauge of humanityor lack
of it.
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