A Corner of Zuni 1903

Edward S. Curtis made this photogravure, A Corner of Zuni, sometime in the early 20th century. It's all in shades of brown, like an old photograph, which of course it is, but the way it picks out the rough textures of the buildings and the land makes me think about the way a painter might use a limited palette to emphasize form. The surface is everything here. You can almost feel the gritty, sun-baked earth of the Zuni settlement, and the way the light catches on the adobe walls. Look at the figure standing on the ladder. The angle of the ladder, the way it slices through the scene, creates this amazing tension, this feeling that everything is precariously balanced. I find myself thinking of Giorgio Morandi, who also used a muted palette to capture simple forms and create a sense of quiet contemplation. Ultimately, I think this piece is about seeing. It invites us to really look at the world around us, to appreciate the beauty and complexity of simple forms, and to recognize that even the most humble subjects can be profound.