Untitled (close-up view of large tank) c. 1948

Curator: This photograph by Jack Gould, currently held at the Harvard Art Museums, presents a close-up view of a large tank. Editor: My first impression is one of unexpected monumentality. The negative space almost creates a sense of impending drama or industrial gothic. Curator: It’s fascinating how Gould isolates this fragment. The tank itself becomes almost abstract, while the wooden supports hint at its immense scale and weight. The numbers on the blocks almost feel like ritual markings to me. Editor: Yes, they lend a symbolic layer—perhaps a nod to quantification or a reflection on the labor inherent in industrial progress. They are strangely evocative when isolated like this. It does make you question if you should trust the machinery, like Frankenstein. Curator: Absolutely, it captures the tension between human ingenuity and its potential consequences. Editor: It’s funny, I’m left feeling both grounded and disoriented. It's a neat trick.