Untitled (two walkways, trellis, and two chairs in outdoor space) c. 1940

Paul Gittings made this photograph, Untitled (two walkways, trellis, and two chairs in outdoor space), with some kind of photographic process. The inverted image shows how art can construct different ways of seeing, thinking, and experiencing the world. It really messes with your perception, right? The way the light and dark are flipped, it’s like looking into another dimension, or an alien world. The texture feels almost velvety, and you can practically feel the coolness of the shadows, even though they appear as bright whites. It’s a beautiful, mysterious landscape. The softness and blurriness of the image are reminiscent of early photography, almost like a daguerreotype. It makes me think of other artists who were experimenting with photography at the time, like Julia Margaret Cameron, who also played with light and focus in dreamy, atmospheric ways. The ambiguity in this piece is a form that embraces multiple interpretations over fixed meanings.