Gropius Residence, Lincoln, Massachusetts, 1938: View from garage toward house c. 1938

Editor: This is Paul Davis’s black and white photograph of the Gropius Residence in Lincoln, Massachusetts, taken in 1938. The composition, looking out from the garage, feels very deliberate. What strikes you about this image? Curator: It speaks volumes about modernism's attempted dialogue with nature and the inherent contradictions within that. Gropius, fleeing Nazi Germany, brought Bauhaus ideals to America. But what does it mean to transplant a utopian vision rooted in socialist principles onto American soil, especially considering the social inequalities already present? Editor: So, the house becomes more than just a building. Curator: Exactly. It becomes a symbol of cultural exchange, displacement, and the complex negotiation between European ideals and American realities. How does the framing device impact your reading? Editor: It makes me consider the perspective, whose gaze are we adopting? Curator: It challenges us to consider whose "modern" is being centered, and at what cost. It certainly gives me a lot to think about!