Adobe House c. 1933

Dorothy Kent made this image of an Adobe House with what looks like graphite, though the lack of date makes it a bit of a mystery. I imagine Dorothy outside in the glaring desert sunlight, squinting while capturing the scene. Look at how she uses all these tiny pencil strokes in the dark sky and the sloping mountains. It feels so repetitive and meditative; did she get into some kind of flow, or was she itching to move on? You can imagine her moving the pencil back and forth across the paper, slowly building up the darkness. The strong horizontal lines, so carefully measured, push the building forward, flattening the composition. The pristine walls have a surreal quality, like a stage set. Then there is the door; what's behind it? Where will it take us? All these artists riffing on the shapes that make up the world around us.