Toward the Sugar House, Vermont 1944

Paul Strand, around the middle of the 20th century, gave us this black and white photograph of a view from inside a building looking out towards the trees. What strikes me is the contrast between the rough textures of the wood in the foreground, and the soft, snowy landscape beyond. Look at the way the light catches the grain of the wood, each plank seems to have its own story etched into its surface. The wood encloses this view of the outside world, and it almost feels like we’re peeking through a secret doorway. And then there are the trees, so delicate and spindly against the snow. The branches almost resemble pencil lines on paper. The darkroom printing process that Strand was so well known for really seems to have amplified the contrast in this image. Think about how a painter like Gerhard Richter used photography as a source for his paintings, and how the translation between mediums can give rise to unexpected and wonderful results.