Munich - Meiserstrasse ? 1 - 1982

This photograph, "Munich - Meiserstrasse?," was taken by Andy Warhol, and printed on photographic paper. The silver gelatin print captures the facade of a building. It’s all about the tones of gray, from the almost white stone to the deep black of the window frames. Looking at the surface, it's fascinating how the light plays on the rough texture of the building. You can almost feel the grit of the stone. It's not a slick, perfect image; it’s got that raw, documentary feel that Warhol sometimes went for. Notice how the windows punctuate the surface and imply depth. The way the light reflects and refracts emphasizes the architectural form of the building. This piece kind of reminds me of Bernd and Hilla Becher, those German photographers who systematically documented industrial structures. Warhol captures something similar here, a kind of cool, detached observation. But, as always, he brings his own sensibility to it, making this an interesting experiment in perception and representation.