Untitled (waiting room with checkered floor) c. 1950

Robert Burian made this photograph, "Untitled (waiting room with checkered floor)", and it currently resides at the Harvard Art Museums. You know, I’m always drawn to images that play with light and shadow; Burian's got a knack for it. The texture in this photograph is all about the contrast between the smooth, almost clinical surfaces and the intricate, patterned floor. The way the light catches the edges of those squares creates a subtle sense of movement. It's like a visual heartbeat, drawing you further into the space. And it’s all black and white, so there’s something very immediate about the image. That checkered floor, though, is a trip. It looks like something you'd see in a dream. Maybe that’s the point; a space where time stretches and reality blurs. It reminds me of some of Giorgio de Chirico's architectural paintings, with their eerie emptiness and uncanny sense of anticipation. You know, the kind of art that leaves you with more questions than answers.