Negroes' Church 1936

Walker Evans made this photograph, Negroes' Church, with a camera, of course. It’s all about the surface here. The planks of wood overlap, creating lines and shadows, a palpable feeling. The light rakes across the front of the building, dividing it in two. The weathered wood gives it a kind of vulnerability. I keep thinking about Agnes Martin, her grids, the way they capture a feeling, not a place, just a feeling. Evans's composition draws my eye up the building to the bell tower. There’s a simple cross at the very top. It's a very quiet image, but full of information and humanity. Ultimately, I think the best art invites us to see the world in new ways. It's a conversation, a way of thinking out loud.