Fairmount Hotel na de aardbeving in San Francisco 1906

Tom Phillips made this photograph, “Fairmount Hotel na de aardbeving in San Francisco”, in 1906. It's a stereograph, so it's a double image. Like a wonky pair of eyes, or a painting that just won’t resolve. Look at the surface. The photograph is not about showing you something clearly, it's about trying to show you something clearly. The image has been printed with a muted palette and low contrast, making everything look somewhat flat and indistinct. The physical process of printing a stereograph involves aligning two slightly different images to create a three-dimensional effect. This technical challenge could be compared to the challenges faced when making a painting. In both art forms, the artist must navigate the gap between the desired image and the final result. I am interested in the process. What does it mean to see something? How does making something show you what seeing is? Like Jasper Johns said, “Take an object, do something to it, do something else to it”. That feels right to me.