Tarnowski Building, Duluth, Minnesota Possibly 1977 - 1989

Frank Gohlke made this photograph of the Tarnowski Building in Duluth, Minnesota. The grey tones give a sense of quiet desolation and remind me of the landscape photography of the New Topographics movement. I imagine Gohlke setting up his camera, carefully framing the scene, and waiting for the right moment. He is looking at this slightly dilapidated building and thinking about the ordinary, everyday places that often go unnoticed. The Tarnowski Building almost merges with the sky, creating a sense of flatness and compression. The power lines cut across the sky like lines in a drawing, creating an abstract pattern that contrasts with the solidity of the building below. I wonder if Gohlke was thinking about the relationship between nature and culture when he made this photograph. The image evokes a sense of melancholic beauty, reminding us of the transience of all things. It's like he’s saying, "Look closely, there is beauty to be found in the mundane."