Gateway, Hidalgo Possibly 1933 - 1967

Curator: I find the weightiness of the structure so imposing in Paul Strand’s photograph, “Gateway, Hidalgo.” The print, likely created sometime between 1933 and 1967, presents a stark, architectural form. Editor: Imposing is right. The heavy stonework, starkly contrasted in black and white, evokes a sense of timelessness. It's also slightly melancholic. I immediately think of forgotten spaces and decaying structures. The texture practically begs to be touched. Curator: Considering the potential timeframe of its creation, I think about how the construction of that gateway, its social and historical context, influenced Strand. Was this a conscious effort to document vernacular architecture, to preserve it in photographic form? Editor: Right, and to consider the physical labor involved. Look at the tooling of the stone, its sheer mass. It wasn’t merely design; there's a tremendous amount of human energy embedded in the material. It begs the question, who quarried this stone? What was their experience? How does that influence the reading of the image now? Curator: Certainly. We should also consider its role as an aesthetic object. It seems that through sharp contrast and perspective, Strand isolates the gateway, emphasizing its sculptural qualities within the surrounding environment. The photographic framing becomes an act of elevating common materials into a thing of beauty. Editor: I agree completely. But doesn’t this elevation sometimes obscure the history, the toil, the original function, turning this gateway into a romantic fragment? The focus is often taken away from social implications onto aesthetic appeal. I'd also like to know about the gate itself, it's purpose for instance? Curator: Those are valid concerns. I suppose an artwork as loaded with historical weight, whether intentional or not, provides a window, though potentially distorted, into another culture's production and perception of that physical material. Editor: Well said. I appreciate seeing how Strand's choice to emphasize specific elements shapes its meaning today. I might consider taking a different image entirely if i were shooting that image today!