Near Ernst-Kellerbrücke 1982

John Gossage made this gelatin silver print, ‘Near Ernst-Kellerbrücke,’ by exposing light onto a photosensitive surface, a process, really. He captures this scene somewhere between representation and abstraction. The tones are gorgeous, from the deep blacks of the leaves to the soft grays of the sky. It's the kind of black and white that feels like a memory, or a dream. I'm drawn to the stark, almost lonely branch that cuts across the upper part of the frame. It’s a simple gesture, but it speaks volumes. It creates a tension, a pull between the dense foliage and the open sky. Gossage’s image reminds me a bit of some of Frederick Sommer's surreal landscapes, that same sense of quiet mystery. Ultimately, photography, like painting, is about seeing, and how we choose to frame the world around us. It’s always more about the questions than the answers, isn't it?