Plantstudie 1928

Karl Blossfeldt made this photogravure, Plantstudie, sometime in the early 20th century. Look at those three plant stems, each like a little face staring back at you. I can imagine Blossfeldt, hunched over his camera, coaxing these silent figures into the light. I wonder if he felt like he was composing a portrait, capturing not just the form but the hidden personality of each stem. The light is so soft, so even. The texture of the bark becomes this landscape of tiny wrinkles and bumps. It's easy to see how Blossfeldt influenced the New Objectivity movement. But more than that, he reminds us that everything, even the smallest twig, has a story to tell, if we just take the time to listen. It also puts me in mind of folk art and the way it invests everything with life. It’s like he’s saying, “Hey, look closer. The world is full of faces and stories.”