Centre Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, Geneva, Switzerland Possibly 1989 - 2006

Lewis Baltz captured this photograph at the Centre Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire in Geneva. Look at how Baltz uses light and shadow, repeating linear forms to create an almost abstract composition. There's a real flatness to the image, a kind of compressed space that pushes the foreground and background together. The subtle tonal shifts across the surface – from creamy whites to soft greys – give the image a tactile quality, almost like you could run your fingers over those corrugated surfaces. Notice how the sharp, dark lines cast by the light create an interesting counterpoint to the softer gradations of tone on the surface itself. They're like little graphic interruptions, adding a layer of visual complexity that keeps your eye moving. Baltz shares something with Bernd and Hilla Becher in this type of photographic project, turning an interest in industrial architecture into a minimalist poetry. It reminds us that beauty can be found in the most unexpected places, if only we take the time to really look.