After work I finally saw the Walker Evans photographs that are on display at the UBS Art Gallery in Midtown. I don't know much about Evans - just enough to recognize his most iconic images - so it was thrilling to see them.
In a nutshell, the digitally produced prints on display were made by John Hill and Sven Martson and use carbon pigments. They are much larger than the original prints, and the effect is, in Michael Kimmelman's words, "cinematic."
For example, several stories seem to be unfolding at this roadside store in Alabama in 1936. Beyond the signs promising a fair deal and listing the fish on offer, beyond the neat rows of fruit and the two guys hoisting melons, you can see two men peeking out of the store (the proprietors?) and, best of all, a little girl who lifts her skirt in a curtsy for the camera.
After I left the UBS Art Gallery on Sixth Avenue, I found myself right in the middle of the run-up to the MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall, with limos and camera crews everywhere. Talk about a contrast!
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