Missouri River, Clay County, South Dakota 1977

Robert Adams made this gelatin silver print of the Missouri River in South Dakota. Look at that sky! It looks like it's about to snow. Everything is quiet, muted, and cold. There's a stillness in the air, a kind of hushed anticipation. I'm thinking about the photographer standing there, patiently waiting for the light to be just right, for the river to be still, for the scene to reveal its quiet beauty. I think what moves me most is the way the trees reach up, almost like they're trying to touch the sky. They remind me of Giacometti sculptures – so raw and vulnerable. There’s an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, each artist adding their voice to the chorus. We look at a photo like this and maybe we feel something of the artist's experience, the way they saw and felt the world. That, to me, is the beauty of art.