London, Museum Vault 1936

This photograph, "London, Museum Vault", was captured by Bill Brandt, and printed on a sheet of paper. The image comes into being through light, shadow, and the stillness of the moment. I sympathize with Brandt here, imagining him in the dim light, holding his breath ever so slightly before pressing the shutter. There's a ladder, all diagonals and geometry, reaching up to… well, who knows? A man in a suit stares upwards too, perhaps looking for the same answers. It’s all about the greys, the tones, the almost-blacks. The textures speak of dust, the ladder feels like a found object. The light isn’t necessarily revealing, but concealing, suggesting a story rather than telling it outright. Brandt's wider practice played with light and dark, a deep exploration of photographic seeing and being. Like painters explore color, Brandt worked with tone. Like Moholy-Nagy too! They were all in conversation. Artists are always talking to each other across time, answering each other’s questions, inspiring new ones.