Reno--Sparks, looking South Possibly 1977 - 1978

Lewis Baltz made this photograph, Reno--Sparks, looking South, with gelatin silver. Look at how he uses the gray scale – it's like a language, a way of mapping out space and distance. The light almost feels tangible, doesn't it? There's a texture to the whole image. The grainy quality of the silver gelatin gives everything a tactile feel, even the distant city. And then, see that little structure off to the left? It's like a tiny island of order in this expanse of land. This image reminds me of the work of the New Topographics photographers. They were all about looking at the everyday landscapes, but in a way that made you question what you were seeing. It's like Baltz is saying, "Here's a place, but what does it mean? What are we doing to it?" Art's not about answers, it's about asking the questions, right?