"Yes, Columbus Did Discover America!", San Francisco Possibly 1938 - 1982

John Gutmann made this black and white photograph in San Francisco. It captures a car covered in handwritten slogans parked in front of a storefront with signs advertising ham and eggs, and wines and liquors. I wonder, what was it like to be Gutmann, framing this scene? The bold white text screams against the dark car, a visual cacophony that mirrors the passionate, if disjointed, messages. "Lies are falling thick and fast!" declares one fender, while the side boldly states, "Yes, Columbus Did Discover America!" This isn't just documentation; it's a captured moment of raw, unfiltered expression. The layering of text reminds me of the dense palimpsests you see in Cy Twombly's work, where words and marks accumulate to convey something beyond their literal meaning. The photograph invites us to consider the power of language—how it can be wielded, layered, and repurposed to convey meaning. I think Gutmann knew this when he clicked the shutter. He was participating in an ongoing dialogue about what we see and how we interpret it.