Grave V Possibly 1965 - 1982

William Christenberry made this photograph, Grave V, using, well, a camera. It’s like he just stumbled upon this scene and had to capture it. The light in this image is just gorgeous, all humid and southern. Christenberry uses this very straightforward approach, but somehow the ordinary becomes extraordinary. It's how he frames the world, not changing it, just seeing it. The white grave is almost swallowed by the overgrowth, a process of nature reclaiming what's left behind. I love how the colors are so muted, almost faded, like memory itself. It reminds me a little of Robert Frank, but with a softer touch. Both artists are interested in the vernacular, but Christenberry homes in on the personal, the local. It's about decay and memory, but it's also just about being present, noticing the beauty in the forgotten. It’s a conversation with time, with the South, with himself. Art doesn’t have to shout, sometimes it whispers.