Amtrak Turbo in Snow, Hudson, New York 12 - 1991

Editor: This photograph, titled "Amtrak Turbo in Snow, Hudson, New York" by James Welling, was taken in December 1991. The stark black and white image of a train cutting through a snowy landscape feels incredibly modern despite being over thirty years old. What do you make of this work? Curator: I find Welling's choice of subject fascinating. The Amtrak Turbo, a machine of modern transportation, is placed in a very specific, almost romantic landscape. Consider the materiality of the photograph itself. This isn’t just a depiction of transportation; it’s a commentary on the industry required to build, operate, and maintain both the train and the railway itself. What do you think Welling is suggesting by rendering all this in monochrome? Editor: Maybe he’s trying to flatten the hierarchy, make us think about the natural landscape and the human-made machine as equal players? It kind of downplays the romanticism, or highlights its constructed nature... Curator: Exactly. The lack of color emphasizes the textures, the way the snow clings to both the landscape and the train’s metal body. It encourages us to consider the process of both their creation and their eventual decay. It is an interaction with place and material; the engine and infrastructure are presented on similar levels of scrutiny. Editor: I didn’t consider it that way initially, focusing on the machine more. Thinking about materials, it makes me see it almost as a document, both aesthetic and materialist at the same time! Curator: Indeed, Welling draws our attention to these layered concepts in ways that allow for us to view industrial subjects with the kind of nuanced artistic vision previously only reserved for subjects thought to be distinct from them.