This photo from my father’s war-time album has the caption Brass Worker. The artisan has arranged his ewer, vases and bowls to appeal to buyers. The photographer must have noticed the verticals in the scene: the vertical fluting in the brass work, the long table legs, the artisan’s striped galabeya, the height of his fez, the line of his straight back.
I use this photo as my computer’s wallpaper. Each time I turn it on, I see a man who is in control, organised, a man who likes to arrange things; he’s creating something beautiful, requiring a unique skill. Someone I emulate.
