Buzz Aldrin Walking on the Surface of the Moon Near a Leg of the Lunar Module 1964 - 1974

This photograph, taken by Neil Armstrong, shows Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon. It's weird to think of the moon as a surface, but here it is! The whole picture has this incredible texture, almost like a painting where the artist has really worked the surface. Look at the ground, all those little craters and bumps. You can almost feel the crunch of the moon dust under your feet, even though it's just a photo. And the light! It’s so stark and shadowless, making the textures pop even more. It's the kind of light that flattens everything, but here, it gives depth. The leg of the lunar module almost looks like a tree trunk, rooted in this alien soil. It puts me in mind of Vija Celmins, with her meticulous drawings of the moon. Both artists show us the strangeness and wonder of the world, whether it's on Earth or a quarter of a million miles away. Art can be a tool that shows us our world, but also other worlds.