Farm house, Augusta, Maine after 1944

This photograph of a farmhouse in Augusta, Maine, was captured by Gordon Parks. Imagine Parks out there in the snow, framing that stark building against the swirling sky. The contrast is incredible! The whites pop, the blacks are so deep, and the shades of gray make the farmhouse look kind of lonely, right? It's like he's saying something about being isolated, maybe about the grit it takes to survive in the middle of nowhere. And then there's the composition with the tree, almost bisecting the scene, which gives it this unsettling tension. Parks, who was also a writer, composer, and filmmaker, often used his art to comment on social issues. I wonder if he chose to photograph this scene to symbolize resilience in the face of adversity? It reminds me of Walker Evans’s photographs of homes during the depression. Parks continues a dialogue about the American experience through the lens.