Hippopotamus, National Zoo, Washington, D.C. Possibly 1986 - 1987

Volker Seding took this photograph of a Hippopotamus in Washington D.C. Seding probably walked around the enclosure, taking in the scene. Maybe he adjusted his lens, trying to find the right angle, the right light. What was Seding thinking? Was he interested in the animal, in its form and texture? Its massive body, its smooth skin? Or was he thinking about the cage, about the lines and the light, about the experience of seeing an animal in captivity? Maybe he felt a little sad, a little trapped himself, like so many of us do in our daily lives. We see life through bars, but the composition is like a modernist grid and a meditation on the act of seeing. Perhaps Seding was in conversation with other photographers and painters who have explored similar themes. It reminds me of the work of other artists who are interested in light and form, in the way that we see and experience the world around us.