Untitled 1941

This photograph by Frederick Sommer presents us with a small-scale, black and white world that is both strange and inviting. The beauty here lies in its ability to transform ordinary objects into something surreal, like a kind of still life built from found things. Look at how the shapes are arranged, and how the light catches the textures of the different elements. Each form seems to whisper a story, maybe of childhood, maybe of something more unsettling. The doll's leg is particularly striking, set against the ambiguous dark background. The monochrome palette allows us to focus on form and texture; it's like a drawing with light. Thinking about other artists, I'm reminded of the surrealist collages of Hannah Höch, where the juxtaposition of disparate elements creates new, unexpected meanings. Like Höch’s work, Sommer’s photography encourages us to question our perceptions, embracing ambiguity, and seeing the world in new ways.