Overpass 1983

Nathan Lerner made this gelatin silver print, "Overpass," without a date, and there is a kind of foreverness to it. The high contrast creates a stark world. The photo's composition seems to be as much about light and shadow as it is about any particular objects. The image is of industrial architecture. It's cool how the circular plate bolted to the structure is echoed in the repetition of the fence posts, and rivets, creating a rhythm. The railing casts these sharp, arrow-like shadows, which I really love. Then there's this figure, almost like a cutout, barely visible above the railing, adding a human element to the built environment. Lerner was associated with the New Bauhaus school, which valued experimentation and the synthesis of art, technology, and design. I can see the influence in the way the photograph transforms an everyday industrial scene into a study of form and light. It reminds me of the work of László Moholy-Nagy, who also explored abstraction in photography. I think it's about finding beauty in unexpected places.