Scene at the Secretariat of Education with Rivera Murals c. 1928

Tina Modotti captured this image, Scene at the Secretariat of Education with Rivera Murals, with a camera. It’s undated, but the composition makes me think about artmaking as a process, not an end result. Look at how Modotti has framed the murals of Diego Rivera, obscuring and revealing different sections. The light and shadow interplay across the image, emphasizing the layered textures of the building's facade, the stacked boxes, and the vintage cars parked haphazardly. There’s a wonderful contrast between the flat picture plane of the murals, and the sculptural three-dimensionality of the real-world objects. The poles, leaning against the stone pillar, bisect the image, creating an almost abstract interruption of the mural behind. This photograph reminds me of the work of Walker Evans, particularly the way he frames and captures the everyday in America. Modotti's photograph isn’t about perfect clarity; it's about the ongoing conversation between art, architecture, and life, embracing ambiguity and inviting multiple interpretations.