Wooden Church, South Carolina 1936

Walker Evans made this gelatin silver print of a Wooden Church in South Carolina, and it’s all about peeling back layers, isn't it? Evans’s work often feels like he’s trying to capture something essential about America, maybe something that’s already disappearing. Look at the way the light hits the side of the church, highlighting the rough texture of the wood, the flaking paint. You can almost feel the age of the building, the way it's been weathered by time and use. Those broken panes in the window to the left hint at a narrative, a story of resilience and maybe also neglect. It reminds me a little of the stark, unadorned beauty you see in some of Agnes Martin’s paintings. Both artists seem interested in finding a kind of quiet, understated grandeur in the everyday. There's an ambiguity about it. It's not just a picture of a church; it's a reflection on history, memory, and the enduring power of simple forms.