Frosted Window, Rochester, New York 1962

Curator: I find this monochrome photograph incredibly striking. Minor White created "Frosted Window, Rochester, New York" in 1962. What do you make of it? Editor: The immediate effect is a kind of melancholic beauty, like looking through a smeared lens. The contrast between the crisp, detailed ice patterns and the streaked, blurry sections really grabs you. Curator: White's photographs were deeply rooted in a desire to uncover hidden meanings. In his own way he advanced an understanding of photography that was not documentary, a photograph that instead aimed to convey spirituality, as informed by Zen Buddhism. Editor: So, for White, photography became almost like a meditative practice—focusing on surface to find some other depth. And it’s amazing what you can find in something as mundane as a frosted window. The material itself is transformed. Curator: The location too—Rochester—is interesting because it was a hub for photographic manufacturing in the mid-20th century, especially with Eastman Kodak's presence. This image challenges the ideas behind the industrial means of image-making. Editor: It's like he’s taking this mass-produced technology and using it to reveal something deeply personal and handmade. Even the abstraction brings focus to his process; to him and his labor. I mean, the patterns—do we know if White caused the circular shape? Curator: That's an intriguing question! It highlights how White uses commonplace and readily available phenomena. The very "stuff" of the everyday can evoke transcendence and personal insight. Editor: There is a delicate dance here between chance and intent. In the making of the work White somehow found an entry to exploring those ineffable feelings. The way he works the material almost borders on performance, or even ritual. Curator: In his writing and teaching, Minor White always pushed for photographers to engage in self-discovery through their work, and this piece speaks so eloquently to his views. Editor: Absolutely. "Frosted Window" is beautiful—revealing how even in the harshest conditions, or coldest material, moments of profound beauty and insight can emerge.