Table of Snow 1945

Gordon Parks made this photo, Table of Snow, sometime during his career. The whole scene is blanketed in this dreamy, blueish-white snow, kinda like a memory fading into a cool winter’s day. It’s a picture that isn’t just about what’s there, but how it feels to be there. Parks is playing with texture and light, using the camera to describe how it feels when a scene is totally hushed. Look at how the snow sits so heavy on the table, yet the chairs stand firm, their shapes still elegant. It’s a dance between what's solid and what’s fleeting. Notice how the scrolled metalwork of one of the chairs is echoed in the bare twigs, it’s like nature and artifice mirroring each other. It's tempting to think about Walker Evans, another photographer who turned everyday scenes into something monumental. Parks, though, brings a warmth, a personal touch, to his images, reminding us that art is really just a fancy conversation we're having with each other and the world around us.