Aggie, 2014. Kefalonia, Greece.

How does this photograph make you feel? Much of the work by the English photographer Jack Davison are aesthetical, autonomous images, such as this portrait of Agnes. Due to the short distance between the camera lens and the model and the tight framing of the image, the photograph exudes a sense of intimacy. Yet what stands out right away is the unique lighting. By placing a patterned screen between the model and the source of light, the face is covered by spots of light that seem to be mirrored by the dark sprouts on Agnes’ cheek and forehead. This interplay of light, combined with the unconventional perspective and the way the image was framed, creates a certain poetical abstraction. Davidson’s oeuvre is a journey through the history of photography, from avant-gardist experiments to objective documentation, and from early 20th-century portraiture to conceptual studies.