Persrollers Possibly 1932

This photograph, titled "Persrollers," captures an anonymous industrial scene, somewhere, sometime. The monochromatic palette emphasizes the geometry of the machinery, the almost endless repetition of forms. It's how the light falls across the metal that grabs me, those subtle gradations of tone. Looking at the photograph, I’m drawn to the texture - the cool, smooth surfaces of the machines contrasting with the rough, almost hazy atmosphere of the factory. I love the way the photo almost disappears into a fog. Your eye struggles to find a place to land. The details of the machines are lovingly rendered, yet dissolve into a larger pattern. A little like an Agnes Martin grid. The lone figure in the photograph, a man standing by the machines, gives the scale of the scene a human dimension. His presence underscores the themes of labor and industry, but with such sensitivity. Anonymous images like this are really speaking to painting right now.