Woods Hole 1932

Dorothy Norman made this photograph, Woods Hole, with a camera and film, though when exactly, who can say? It’s a study in looking, really. The silver gelatin print gives us a close-up of a slender tree trunk, almost centered, with delicate branches reaching out like whispers. It’s not about grand vistas; it’s about the intimate feel of a place, the quiet rhythm of nature doing its thing. Notice how the light plays, blurring the background, making the tree almost pop out. The stark contrast between the grainy bark of the tree and the soft-focus background pulls you in, like a secret revealed. There's a stillness, a kind of Zen-like quality, and it reminds me a little of Alfred Stieglitz's cloud studies. Both were looking for something beyond the surface. Art is always this searching, this seeing. It's a conversation that never really ends.