Bridge, Cumberland, Maryland 1991

Here's a gelatin silver print by James Welling called, Bridge, Cumberland, Maryland. The lack of color, you know, puts the emphasis on the process, on the layering of dark and light. Check out the surface; it's so smooth, almost like a mirror reflecting the bare bones of the bridge. You can almost feel the cool metal. Welling's playing with the bones of the bridge, the way they cast these wild, geometric shadows. Look closely at the way the light hits the lamp post on the left. It's such a small detail, but it totally changes the mood. It makes you wonder what's just out of sight. Welling's work reminds me of Bernd and Hilla Becher, those German photographers who shot industrial structures in a similarly dispassionate style. But Welling's got something else going on too, a bit of romance, maybe? It's like he's saying, "Hey, even this massive hunk of metal has its own weird beauty." Art, you know, is all about finding those hidden angles.