Squatting Girl or ‘Spider Girl’, Helen Levitt, 1980
plastic (organic material), h 382mm × w 571mm
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© Toby Levitt
In the 1970s Helen Levitt switched effortlessly between black-and-white and colour photography, which at the time was considered inferior – too garish and loud. However, her colour photographs demonstrate just how effective colour can be as a compositional device. In addition to this, all of the attention remains concentrated on the girl who is squatting..., urinating... or looking for something under the car. That mystery makes the photograph all the more powerful.