The photograph titled “Olive Street” was captured by the artist Joel Meyerowitz in St. Louis in the year 1977. The image features an urban corner scene, devoid of people, focusing on the architectural details and the interplay of colors and shapes present in the built environment.
In the photograph, we see the corner of a building with a yellow façade and white upper portion, bordered by a section of brick wall that cuts diagonally across the image, creating an interesting geometric contrast. The brick wall has a vibrant red color that stands out against the pale yellow of the building and the vivid blue of the storefront base. There is a set of white blinds behind a large window to the right, and the corner of the building is adorned with a decorative, classical-style stone pillar and ornamentation. The sky is a clear, uncluttered blue, suggesting a bright, sunny day. Directly behind the stone pillar and red brick wall, there is a glimpse of another building, which appears to be a church with arched windows, adding another architectural element to the urban landscape captured in the image. This composition of structure and color brings attention to the ordinary urban scenes and encourages the viewer to appreciate the aesthetic qualities found in everyday environments.
