Untitled (Maya Temple, Chichen Itza, Mexico) after 1935

Editor: This photograph, "Untitled (Maya Temple, Chichen Itza, Mexico)" by Josef Albers, really emphasizes the rough texture and massive scale of the structure. What strikes you about this image? Curator: I see the repetitive labor inherent in the temple's construction. Consider the sheer volume of stone, each piece individually placed. How does Albers's composition speak to this manual process? Editor: It makes me think about the community effort and skill required to build something so monumental without modern machinery. Curator: Exactly. And how does photography, as a relatively new medium at the time, democratize access to such a site? It shifts the power dynamic of experiencing such grandeur. Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered – the photograph itself as a tool of accessibility. Curator: It invites us to contemplate the relationship between materiality, labor, and the democratization of art. Editor: Thanks, now I understand how Albers's photo captures both the physical and social construction of the temple.