José NICOLAS (1956) - Lot 390

José NICOLAS (1956) The child and the scales, Lisbon, Portugal, 1985 Silver print On back, signed, titled, dated, located Dimensions: 30 x 40 cm Note: In this photograph taken in Lisbon, José Nicolas isolates a meaningful everyday scene. A child sits on a public scale, surrounded by papers on the ground, while the wall behind him is covered with political posters. The composition contrasts the fragility of the child with the rigidity of the urban environment. The scale, an object of measurement, becomes a symbolic element here, accentuating the idea of precariousness or waiting. The repeated posters create a graphic background that contrasts with the solitude of the subject. The photographer adopts a documentary approach, attentive to the details of reality. Black and white reinforces the social dimension of the image, giving it a timeless significance, between observation and implicit commentary on the political and social context.