In a picture, when only parts of the whole thing is visible to us and we have to guess and interpret according to those details, the picture becomes seeable. Here we are faced with something resembling ‘The Elephant in The Dark’, a metaphor for the inexpressible nature of truth and the inaccessibility of information we need for our interpretations. However, the important question here is: do the details depicted here have the potential of providing us with the chance of making several guesses and interpretations or not?
Maybe the artist even did not have the intention to make us curious. But as an audience I prefer to see the photo take more risks stimulating my curiosity to see what was happening behind the curtains. Take a look at this photo by Ralph Gibson. By only showing one hand and a curious lighting the artist creates a dreadful situation challenging the viewer’s mind for some time.