Untitled (Rival) Possibly 1924 - 1981

Editor: So, here we have Ralph Steiner’s black and white photograph, "Untitled (Rival)", possibly taken between 1924 and 1981. The geometric forms against a stark sky really create a feeling of…alienation, almost. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Alienation, yes, I agree. It captures that interwar feeling – the machine age looming. Those strong geometric shapes, repeated, create a visual language reflecting modernity. Do you notice the streetlight fixtures, poised like antennae? Editor: I do. They’re almost menacing, but why "Rival" as the title? I find that a bit confusing. Curator: Perhaps Steiner saw the billboard itself as a rival, competing for attention, mirroring the anxieties of an increasingly commercial world. Think of it as a symbolic challenge - old versus new, natural versus artificial. Editor: So, it’s less about physical rivals and more about…ideological ones? That makes more sense. The lack of human presence really drives that home. Curator: Exactly. It leaves space for us, the viewers, to project our own anxieties onto this scene, grappling with those shifting cultural narratives and our roles within them. Editor: I hadn’t thought about it that way. Seeing it as a conversation about anxieties of a new age changes everything. Thanks. Curator: And thank you for prompting this exchange. Exploring those symbolic layers opens up so much meaning.