Gloucester 1944

Aaron Siskind made this photograph in Gloucester, and without knowing the exact date, it feels timeless. The approach to the rocks, the shadows and tones in this photograph feel painterly, like the process of observing something closely can become a way of feeling it. He has such a wonderful sensitivity for texture! Look at how the eye travels across the surface of these rocks – the way the light and shadow create a tactile experience. It's almost like you can feel the roughness of the barnacles, the solidity of the stone. The forms are really powerful, but it's the details that make it come alive, the way he crops and frames the image to push the shapes to the fore. Think about this image in relation to Edward Weston's peppers or shells, Siskind shares that intensity, the way he finds the abstract in the real. The thing I love about art is that there are no fixed answers. It’s more about embracing the questions, the looking, and the feeling.