Window View c. 1952

Ilse Bing’s photograph captures a view from a window, a moment framed in monochrome. I look at this and think, what was Bing thinking when she chose this ordinary view? The window itself, with its grid of panes, creates a structure and geometry, but then you see those curtains, pulled back, softening the edges, like the gentle brushstrokes. And through the glass, there is a dense urban landscape, antennas reaching up, a brick wall close by. It's a study in contrasts – the intimacy of the interior versus the chaos of the outside. Those antennae, though! It reminds me of the work of other photographers, like Aaron Siskind, who found abstraction in the everyday world. Bing invites us to look closely at the world around us, to find beauty and interest in the most unexpected places. It's a reminder that artists help us see with new eyes, and give us new perspectives on our everyday world.