Roadside Store 1935

This photograph, Roadside Store, was shot by Walker Evans, and I’m so curious about what he was thinking when he made it! It's like a stage set. Look at the composition, how the building and the signs all jostle for attention in sepia tones, demanding to be seen and shouting about things we barely remember. The Coca-Cola sign looms large. The artist is so in love with vernacular language. I love the textures: the rough wood, the peeling paint, and the way everything seems worn down from time passing by. And the light is incredible. Walker Evans really knew how to capture the way that light could turn something mundane into something kind of magical. That shadow across the road! It could be the trace of something that is gone. And the chimneys in the background - what happened there? So many questions! These kinds of quiet photographs leave a mark. They leave you thinking.