Gezicht in een straat (met verkeerslichten) in Ottawa, Canada 1936

This photograph of a street in Ottawa, with traffic lights, was made by Wouter Cool sometime in the first half of the 20th century. It's a scene captured with a keen eye for tonal range, each shade of grey meticulously placed to guide your focus and build up a story. The building facades have this smooth almost silky quality, which is offset by the grainy surfaces of the road, the car and the figures in the image. Look at the man in the foreground. His form is solid, clearly defined against the lighter background, like a charcoal rubbing, whereas the person on the left is a light grey ghost, caught in mid stride. The contrast between light and dark gives the image its narrative power. The traffic lights, that are more like elegant art deco lamps, draw the eye, while the dark shapes of the car and the walking man frame the shot and create a sense of depth. This work makes me think of Charles Sheeler, who also transformed the everyday world into striking compositions of light and shadow. Ultimately, it's a reminder that beauty can be found in the simplest of scenes.