Machineonderdelen 1931 - 1937

This photograph, "Machineonderdelen," of machine parts, cropped and bound within a book, really gets under my skin. It's a stark, black-and-white image. The grey scale values are handled so deftly, you can feel the weight of the metal and the cool, smooth surfaces. What I love about photography is how it captures texture. Look at the surfaces here. You can almost feel the cold, hard edges. The way the light reflects off the metal gives it a presence, a kind of stoic monumentality, like a tony smith sculpture. The composition, too, has a solid, grounded feel. Thinking about the anonymous artist, it’s fascinating how this image pulls you in. It's a record, yes, but it's also a study in form and light, reminiscent of Bernd and Hilla Becher’s typologies of industrial structures. Art always converses with other art, you know? And like all good art, this photograph presents more questions than answers.