Larry Sultan’s compilation of personal photos Pictures from Home is based on pictures, old and contemporary, of his parents. The narrative here is one of relationships: that between father and mother, and that between parents (both as a unit and as individuals) and son. It is always fascinating to follow a series of photos that covers the chronology of the same individuals; there is something terribly intriguing about watching the changes wrought by time and experience. What has been accomplished? Have expectations changed? How many people have you actually been? This sort of photographic timeline evokes the idea of degrees of happiness plotted on a graph. When we see Sultan’s mother as a young woman, then a young wife and mother, we wonder if she ever had an inkling she would be posing up against the green wall, gaze as penetrating as ever. When his father sits on the bed in his suit, does he know how close or far he is to playing golf on the same type of carpet? The large format of these photos imparts a heightened importance. What if everyone’s home photos were just as big? Would we ponder our relationships more if we could see them better?

Artist: Larry Sultan
+ billcharles.com