Untitled 1980

Ursula Schulz-Dornburg made this photograph, ‘Untitled’, sometime in her career using traditional photographic methods. The tones and shades of grey here are really subtle and considered. It’s almost monochrome, but the variations in the grey add depth. Looking at the photograph, I'm struck by how simple and elemental it is. A body of water in the foreground, then that narrow horizon line, and then the vast sky. It is like the artist captured this solitary horse-drawn cart moving along that distant land, dwarfed by the water and sky. Each tone, each shade, emphasizes the stark, almost barren landscape. Even the reflections on the water are soft, not sharp. Schulz-Dornburg reminds me of Agnes Martin, especially in the sense of trying to record an epic subject with the simplest of means, like she's seeking out the sublime in this image. It leaves so much space for thinking, wondering, and feeling.