Untitled [New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, 2005] Possibly 2005 - 2010

Richard Misrach made this photograph, Untitled [New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, 2005], using photographic materials and processes. This makes me think about the artist, Misrach, standing on the street, and the feeling of capturing a moment with his camera. The turquoise wall and the messages scrawled on it. It's like a readymade abstract painting. It reminds me of a Cy Twombly, but with a touch of social commentary. I wonder, was he thinking about the history of mark-making when he framed the shot? Like, what is the relationship between graffiti and formalist gestures? Perhaps Misrach saw the wall as a canvas, and the messages as spontaneous marks, full of urgency and emotion. Or maybe he was just drawn to the visual texture of the scene, the way the colors and shapes came together to create a kind of accidental composition. It's like the city itself is a painter, constantly layering and reworking its surfaces. Artists are always building on each other's ideas and finding inspiration in the most unexpected places.