Stairway to the Cathedral (Subida a la catedral) 1938

Kati Horna took this black and white photograph "Stairway to the Cathedral" and I can only wonder where it was taken and when. It feels like a secret place. The composition is really striking, with the harsh lines of the staircase and the rough texture of the stone wall creating a sense of depth. The shadows play across the scene, adding a bit of mystery, like a film noir. Is that an eye peering through the barred window? Horna must have been fascinated by the way light transforms ordinary scenes into something surreal. I imagine her wandering through the city streets, waiting for the right moment when the light and shadow aligned just so. The eye behind the bars is so evocative, suggesting themes of voyeurism, surveillance, or even entrapment. It's like something out of a dream. Photographers like Horna help us see the world in new ways. They invite us to look closer, to find the hidden beauty and strangeness in the everyday. They are in conversation with painters, filmmakers, all kinds of artists!