Kansas City by Harry Callahan (1981)

The photograph titled “Kansas City,” created by the artist Harry Callahan, dates back to 1981. It depicts an urban scene with strong visual contrasts and emphasis on geometry and light.

In the photograph, we see the facade of a building that appears to be made of brick, painted in a warm, brownish-orange hue. The image is marked by the interplay of light and shadow, particularly the deep shadows of what appear to be trees and possibly utility poles or street lights, cast against the building’s surface. The shadows stretch vertically across the image, creating a pattern that contrasts with the horizontal lines of the brickwork, doorways, and architectural details. There are two bare-branched trees in front of the building, their forms adding an organic texture to the scene. Their shadows also contribute to the network of lines and shapes on the building’s surface. On the right, there’s a partially visible door with a small, square window that has a grid-like pattern, adding another element of regular geometric shapes to contrast with the irregular organic shapes of the tree shadows. The overall effect is one that captures a momentary alignment of natural and man-made forms, as seen in this particular quality of light and setting.

Other Photographs from Harry Callahan

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