Cut and Fill, Diamond Bar, California 1984

Joe Deal's photograph, "Cut and Fill, Diamond Bar, California" captures land undergoing construction, with careful attention to light and tonality. It's not about a single moment, but about change, an ongoing process, like artmaking itself. The image presents a landscape of earth. It's raw, exposed, with a texture that's both gritty and smooth. Look at the way the light catches the different surfaces. It’s a play of darks and lights, where shadows define the forms. Notice the subtle variations, which almost seems to flatten the space. Deal’s work reminds me a bit of the Bechers, with its documentary feel, but there’s something more personal here. It’s a study, but also a statement about how we shape the world around us. It's about the tension between what we build and what we leave behind, a kind of beautiful ruin in progress.