Wheat Ridge, Colorado 1973 - 1974

Robert Adams made this gelatin silver print, Wheat Ridge, Colorado, at an undetermined date. Adams has a real knack for finding the subtle beauty in the mundane, and this piece is no exception. The high contrast of black and white feels deliberate, heightening the sense of light and shadow. I’m drawn to the way the vertical stripes of the building interact with the horizontal lines of the street and the sky. Look at the subtle tonal gradations in the sky, which create depth and atmosphere, contrasting with the sharp lines of the architecture. There’s a strange tension between the clean lines of the building and the tangle of telephone wires overhead. Adams reminds me of Ed Ruscha, who has a similar eye for the overlooked corners of the American landscape. Ultimately, it's a reminder that art can be found in the most unexpected places, and that beauty is often a matter of how we choose to see the world around us.