Ely Cathedral: Prior's Door 1893

Frederick H. Evans made this platinum print, titled ‘Ely Cathedral: Prior’s Door’. Evans was a master of capturing architectural details. Take a look at the photograph. Its sharp focus captures the textures of the stone carvings, and the wood of the door. The photograph shows the doorway's intricate designs. But consider also, the processes that originally made the doorway. Stone carving is a slow, physical, labor-intensive practice. The masons would have used chisels and other hand tools to produce the intricate details of the doorway, demonstrating their skill and patience. The ironwork on the door would have involved metalwork, with the blacksmith heating and hammering iron into shape. Evans' photograph prompts us to think about the layers of making involved, both in the original construction of the door, and his photographic representation of it. By focusing on materials, making, and context, we can appreciate the skills and traditions that inform the artwork's meaning. It challenges our traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.