Tombstone, Winged Skull 1946

Paul Strand made this photograph of a tombstone with a winged skull, and well, it's not dated. It’s all about the carving here: the way the skull hovers, a kind of heart-shaped memento mori, somewhere between folksy and fierce. The wings are amazing. Each feather is so carefully defined, but they’re also repetitive, like a pattern. The texture is palpable. You can almost feel the grit and the give of the wood under the carver’s hand. Look at the teeth! Those little rectangles are so present. They remind me of Agnes Martin's grids. They give the piece a solid foundation. It’s not just about death; it's about memory, craft, and the way we mark our time here. Thinking about Strand’s other work, especially his portraits, you see the same attention to detail and the same interest in capturing something essential about his subjects. It’s not just a tombstone; it's a testament to a life lived and remembered.