New York 53 1982

Aaron Siskind made this gelatin silver print, titled New York 53, sometime around 1953. Siskind was part of a generation of photographers and artists who turned away from straightforward representation towards abstraction. This photograph is a good example. At first glance, it's hard to tell what we are looking at. The high contrast and close cropping obscure any clear subject matter. Siskind was interested in finding abstract compositions in the urban landscape. It looks as if Siskind was capturing peeling paint, graffiti or weathered surfaces in New York. The image has a gritty, urban feel. During this time, New York was becoming the center of the art world. The Abstract Expressionist movement was in full swing. Artists were pushing the boundaries of what art could be. Siskind's photographs fit into this context, capturing the energy and experimentation of the time. To understand Siskind's work better, we can look at the cultural context in which he was working. Examining how the social, political, and artistic environment influenced his approach to photography, we can get a richer understanding of its place in the history of American art.