The Hollywood Suites (Windows) #10 1976

This black and white photograph of a window and curtain, titled The Hollywood Suites (Windows) #10, was made by Steve Kahn sometime in the late twentieth century. The composition is striking. We see a patterned curtain pulled back and tied, revealing a view of trees outside. The light! It’s not just about what is seen, but how it's seen, filtered, and framed. The curtain, with its floral pattern, acts almost like a lens, softening and abstracting the outside world. The artist, through their choice of subject and composition, is showing us something about the nature of seeing itself. It makes me think of the way the Impressionists like Monet, played with light and perception. But where they used color, Kahn uses monochrome to explore ideas of light and form. Ultimately, what we're left with is not just an image of a window, but a meditation on seeing, filtering, and framing our perception of the world.