Empire State Building, New York, Verenigde Staten 1936

This photograph of the Empire State Building in New York was captured by Wouter Cool. It’s a black and white photograph, but it’s less about stark contrasts and more about gentle gradations. What really grabs me is the sense of scale, how Cool plays with perspective, the way the buildings loom so high, really emphasizing the verticality of the city. The Empire State Building, this monolith, rising out of the city’s depths. Look closely at the soft focus, that dreamy, almost hazy quality, especially around the top of the building. You can see the steam rising from the lower buildings, which adds to the atmospheric effect. It reminds me a little of Alfred Stieglitz’s urban landscapes, that same sense of capturing a moment, an atmosphere, rather than just documenting a scene. There's a real sense of the ongoing conversation between photographers, capturing the ever-changing urban landscape.