Penitente Moranda, Coyote, New Mexico c. 1950 - 1981

This is Ansel Adams’ photograph, Penitente Morada, Coyote, New Mexico. It’s undated, but it’s all about time, actually. There’s so much texture in this black and white image, the wall looks as though it has been built up in layers, like the process of applying paint. I can see that the surface has lots of small cracks. I guess the cracks are the result of the weather and time. They’re almost like brushstrokes. The dark sky makes a beautiful contrast with the lightness of the wall, highlighting the rough textures and making them appear even more tactile. I like how the window seems to be a part of the wall, or trying to be, as if the building itself has grown organically from the landscape. This reminds me of some of the earlier photographs by people like Alfred Stieglitz, who was a huge influence on Adams, but in Adams’ photos there’s always something more grand, more epic, and more…American.