Sidewalk in Vicksburg, Mississippi 1936

Walker Evans made this photograph, ‘Sidewalk in Vicksburg, Mississippi’ using, well, a camera, and some film, and who knows what filters or darkroom magic back then. But, just like with painting, the process is everything. Look at how the light rakes across the building's clapboard siding. It feels tactile, almost like a Braille version of a building. Evans pays so much attention to the surface, the textures of the wood, the way the paint peels off. Now, focus on that car, parked in front of the barber shop. It's like a character in a play, isn't it? The way it mirrors the posture of the people, all kind of slumped and waiting, adds another layer to the scene. It brings to mind the work of artists like Edward Hopper, who also found beauty in the everyday. Ultimately, this photograph captures a specific moment, but it also speaks to the idea of impermanence, of things changing and decaying over time. And maybe, just maybe, it reminds us to look closely at the world around us, to find the beauty in the ordinary.