Esteban de Viguera, exterior view 1991

Ursula Schulz-Dornburg made this photograph of Esteban de Viguera. The tones are grey, almost monochromatic, and the light is so soft it seems to emanate from the very rock of the cliff face, where a little building nestles. What was Schulz-Dornburg thinking, finding this place, setting up her equipment, waiting for the light? I can imagine her feeling an affinity with the building’s builders, perhaps monks, looking for just this kind of shelter, hard to reach, a literal refuge from the world. And in its own way, photography can do the same, turning reality into something quieter, stiller, more contemplative, and set apart. It’s interesting how some artists find their way to desolate places. Agnes Martin moved to New Mexico. Maybe the quiet, open landscape allows the artist to focus, in Martin’s case, on subtle gradations of tone and hue, and in Schulz-Dornburg’s, on architecture so humble it practically blends into the earth.