Doorway, 204 West 13th Street, New York City, around 1931 Possibly 1931 - 1974

Walker Evans made this photograph, *Doorway, 204 West 13th Street, New York City*, around 1931, probably using a large format camera. The thing that grabs me right away is how the doorway is both inviting and a bit foreboding. Look at how Evans has captured the texture of the brickwork and the worn paint on the door. You can almost feel the grit of the city. It’s all about the subtle play of light and shadow, the contrast between the rough brick and the ornate details. Notice how the number ‘204’ hovers above the door, a kind of symbolic marker. The door itself is symmetrical, yet each of the three decorative elements are slightly different, as if they were carved in a different manner. Evans has a sharp eye for the vernacular, the everyday. He elevates the mundane to something monumental. Think about other photographers like Eugène Atget, who also documented the streets of Paris with such loving detail. It's a reminder that art is all around us, if we just take the time to look.