David GoldblattWoman smoking, Fordsburg, Johannesburg., 1975
David Goldblatt’s ‘Particulars’, predominantly photographed in 1975, is a series of tightly framed black-and-white images focusing on the bodies, gestures, and clothing details of people in Hillbrow, a residential suburb of Johannesburg. Rather than photographing faces or full figures, Goldblatt isolated fragments to explore how individuals express themselves through posture, movement, and dress in public space. Taken without the subjects’ awareness, the images form an intimate study of presence and self-presentation. Goldblatt later referred to the series as his one “artistic folly,” recognising its departure from his usual documentary focus on broader social structures.
Despite its more abstract and aesthetic approach, Particulars remains grounded in Goldblatt’s lifelong concern with the moral and social dimensions of everyday life. By concentrating on details rather than broader context, ‘Particulars draws attention to the unspoken and often unconscious ways people navigate their social environment. Although produced during a time of intense political oppression, the images are not overtly documentary or political. Instead, they offer a quiet, empathetic record of presence and individuality, captured in fleeting, unspectacular moments. The work stands as a nuanced reflection on human dignity and the physical vocabulary of daily life under apartheid.
