Untitled (exterior of house) c. 1950

Robert Burian's photograph captures the exterior of a house in a simple, direct manner. But look closer, and you will see it is actually a photographic negative. The house, a recurring symbol across cultures, represents security, family, and the self. In dreams, the house can often symbolize the dreamer's own psyche, with different rooms representing different aspects of the personality. Notice the windows, how they gaze out from the house like eyes. Windows offer views of the outside world, and in many cultures, eyes were viewed as the windows to the soul. But here, in this negative, they are dark voids, as if inverted. This inversion evokes a sense of the uncanny, hinting at the subconscious anxieties tied to home and identity. The photograph engages our collective memories, prompting us to reflect on the emotional weight we attach to our living spaces. The negative effect further unsettles, reminding us of the hidden and inverted aspects of our psyches.