Real Estate #909617 1990

Henry Wessel made this photograph, Real Estate #909617, sometime during his life, but without a known date. The house is awash in California light. Can’t you just feel the sun beating down? Wessel sees something special in the ordinary. We've all seen places like this, maybe even lived in one. He's not trying to pretty it up. I wonder what Wessel was thinking when he clicked the shutter. Maybe he was struck by the mix of textures, the rough stone against the smooth stucco. It’s like the house is wearing a mask, trying to be something it's not. The red steps lead to a dark, ornate security door that feels less than welcoming. Wessel’s like those other photographers, like Eggleston, who find beauty in the mundane, elevating the everyday to art. He invites us to look closer, to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. It's a reminder that art is all around us, if we just take the time to notice.