Weld County, Colorado 1984

Robert Adams made this photograph, Weld County, Colorado, with a camera and film, though the date is unknown. The palette is limited to black and white, but within that, the variations are endless. Look closely and you can see how the light catches the bark of the tree. The texture, built up over decades, is almost palpable. The negative space becomes just as important as the solid form of the tree. The branches reach out like fingers, each one a slightly different shape and size. I am reminded of the photographs of Eugène Atget. Both Adams and Atget share a concern for documenting a world on the cusp of change. The world is constantly evolving, but these photographs remain as a testament to a particular moment in time. A reminder that art can be about capturing the ephemeral and finding beauty in the everyday.