View From Room 114, Pontiac Hotel Possibly 1992 - 1994

Jim Goldberg captured this view from Room 114 of the Pontiac Hotel using photography, a medium that can appear immediate and factual. But like painting, photography is a process of making choices. Look at the subtle gradations of gray, almost like watercolor washes, and how they create depth and mood. The curtain on the left has these nervous pleats, like a drawing, and the window frame sits between us and the outside world. This is a picture of looking, a framed view. There’s a van, buildings, people… nothing special. But Goldberg coaxes something poetic from the everyday. The graininess reminds me of early Weegee photos, but there’s also a quietness here that speaks to the loneliness and observation that Hopper explored in his paintings. Art is always a dialogue, isn’t it? It’s less about knowing what it *is* and more about feeling what it *could* be.