Washington, DC 14 - 1990

Curator: What an incredibly balanced composition! The crisscrossing wires above and the parallel tracks below work together beautifully. Editor: Indeed! It projects a quiet sort of monumentality, despite being just trains in a yard. The image is "Washington, DC," a gelatin silver print dating from 1990-94, by James Welling. Curator: That tight, square format definitely contributes to that stillness. Notice how the geometric forms of the locomotives echo those found in Minimalist sculpture? It creates an almost iconic industrial presence. The sharp focus and tonality contribute to the image's sense of detached observation. Editor: Well, given Welling’s known fascination with industrial subjects, from architecture to rail yards, one might ask what larger historical forces and policies might have shaped the subjects of his work here in the nation’s capital. These are, after all, working-class transit objects operating—or sitting—in a place laden with political and symbolic significance. Curator: I am more drawn to how the play of light across the surfaces and textures really underscores the starkness and, almost, emptiness. Welling masterfully exploits the monochromatic palette to draw the eye across the frame in specific paths. It’s less about content and more about pure visual experience. Editor: Yet the *content* – that this photograph depicts government-subsidized transportation in the 90s, also begs important social questions. As the work engages the Realist style, one has to wonder how issues of representation and under-representation affect how everyday transit and its users are viewed. Curator: Interesting points, but, ultimately, I see it as an arrangement of geometric forms; an exercise in photographic composition and tonal contrast. Editor: I see it more as a quiet statement about urban infrastructure. But there's no question it offers a compelling snapshot. Curator: Agreed; food for thought...and visual satisfaction!