Driftwood [recto] 1927

This is Paul Strand's photograph, Driftwood. It was created in the style of a close-up black and white photograph. What I love about this photo is how Strand transforms these pieces of wood into something other. They look almost like a landscape, with their own peaks and valleys. It's a still life, yes, but one brimming with so much movement. I imagine Strand combing the beach, searching for just the right pieces, thinking about light and texture. And how these shapes arrange themselves. This close-up forces you to confront the minute details, the grain, the cracks, and the weathering that tells the story of time and tide. Photographs and paintings—they're really about seeing. And Strand is showing us how to see. He encourages us to look deeply, to find abstraction in the everyday, and to appreciate the beauty in the overlooked. That, to me, is where the magic happens.