His [Henry Wessel] equanimity can be a detriment sometimes. Modesty has its costs, and his views of houses, straight-on like head shots or real estate advertisements, while conveying a curious, plainspoken affection for their home(l)y subjects, in the end don’t overcome their inherent boredom. Noir-ish night shots of darkened bungalows and moonlit trees come to look repetitive too.

Sometimes the point of an image is simply hard to fathom. I gazed at a picture of an empty yard, wondering whether the geometry of it was the subject, before finally giving up. Mr. Wessel doesn’t always make it easy. But then, looking hard isn’t.

- bill 3-07-2007 1:01 am [add a comment]