Real Estate #90482 1990

Henry Wessel's photograph captures an unassuming slice of suburban America, printed on photographic paper. There’s a real sense of immediacy in this image; the light is clear and everything is sharply in focus. The composition feels casually framed, as if it were a snapshot taken while passing by. What I find compelling here is its unpretentious quality, a very common scene portrayed without romanticism or drama. Look at the way Wessel captures the flat light of the day, washing out the colors to a muted, almost pastel palette. The subtle gradations of tone and texture in the buildings and the driveway, with its cracks and worn patches are beautiful. This reminds me a bit of Ed Ruscha’s photographs of Los Angeles, but without the irony. Both artists share an interest in the vernacular landscape, but Wessel seems more interested in simply observing the world as it is, without judgment or commentary. It is a meditation on the beauty of the everyday, inviting us to find poetry in the mundane.