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St. Martins

Creator

American Photographer · 1903–1975

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> Leaving aside the mysteries and the inequities of human talent, brains, taste, and reputations, the matter of art in photography may come down to this: it is the capture and projection of the delights of seeing; it is the defining of observation full and felt. > > -- Walker Evans Walker Evans began to photograph in the late 1920s, making snapshots during a European trip. Upon his return to New Y

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Date: 1974
Medium: Polaroid dye diffusion print
Culture: American
Department: Photographs
Institution: Getty Museum

Using a one-step Polaroid camera ideal for vacation snapshots, Walker Evans made this image while taking a holiday in the French West Indies. Although it was a sunny day with a bright blue sky, the red-roof building's shutters are closed and the neighborhood appears curiously abandoned. Evans framed this image so that the sharply angled street leading uphill relieves the composition's strong horizontal and vertical emphasis. Evans worked intensively with the Polaroid camera for a two-year period, producing more than 2,000 small color pictures. The convenient new equipment allowed him to explore some of his favorite themes, particularly signage and vernacular architecture.

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