Gene Smith's Stairs, 821 6th Avenue, New York 1965

This photograph of Gene Smith's stairs on 6th Avenue, New York, was shot by David Vestal, sometime in the 20th century. Look at the way the graffiti swirls and writhes on the wall – it reminds me of some of the earliest cave paintings, or the scrawls of Cy Twombly. I wonder what Vestal was thinking when he took this shot. Maybe he was drawn to the contrast between the rigid geometry of the staircase and the fluid, almost chaotic energy of the graffiti. The light and shadow play off each other, creating depth and texture. The composition is so strong, almost like a drawing with different tones and shading. What’s great about painting, or indeed photography, is that it's this ongoing conversation between artists, right? We're all riffing off each other, finding new ways to see the world and express ourselves. And that's what makes art so exciting – it's always evolving, always pushing boundaries, always open to new interpretations.