Accidental Greatness

In the window of the art gallery is only one thing— a sensational black and white photograph of a beautiful woman eating a very large jelly donut. There’s white powdered sugar all over her face. She’s staring at the camera and laughing, obviously indifferent to how ridiculous (and wonderful) she looks. But the best part of the picture is this: a few feet behind her, out of her line of vision, a mongrel dog is sitting nearby staring up at her with absolute hatred and envy. It is hilarious. I have rarely seen a picture of an animal with such a human expression on its face. This one is pure jealousy.

It’s such a great picture that I have to enter the gallery and look at this photographer’s other work. And that is when it becomes interesting. Because although the place is full of the person’s other work, all of it is mediocre crap. Bad calendar art, the many pictures are all a hundred miles away from the excellence of that one picture in the window.

Was that photograph an accident? Or was it simply the peak of this artist’s career; the only great photo they ever had, or would, take. That was it forever—one shot, one moment of true greatness.