West 21st Street, New York 1959

David Vestal’s silver gelatin print captures a carved pillar on West 21st Street in New York, and when I look at it, I imagine him walking around with his camera, looking, seeing. The light is so important here. It gives the stone its weight and presence. You can almost feel the cool air of the street. And that hand reaching out, that pale hand against the stone... I wonder what Vestal was thinking about when he took this photo? Maybe he was thinking about the history of the city, about all the people who had walked down this street before him. Maybe he was just trying to capture a beautiful moment. It makes me think about other artists who have been inspired by the city, like Berenice Abbott or Walker Evans. Each artist brings their own unique perspective, their own way of seeing the world. In the end, it's all about how we see, how we feel, and how we translate that into something new.