I learned this weekend of an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC called “Rooms with a View: The Open Window in the 19th Century.” As described on the Met’s website, the exhibit is presented in four galleries and represents the works of over forty European artists. A friend of mine, watching a CBS Sunday Morning profile of the exhibit, said she was reminded of my photography. Well, I looked through a few of my archives and noticed that I do indeed have a penchant for pictures taken with windows as backdrop.
During the morning show, the curator, I believe, pointed out that the view through the window by itself can be insignificant or downright boring. It is the juxtaposition of that view with the interior life that creates the romance. Sometimes the windows are not open, as in this Carl Gustav Carus (German, 1789-1869) painting called Studio in Moonlight (1826). Next to it is a rosy-hued picture I took several years ago during a visit to Jackson, Mississippi. In each case it is the illumination that is important, not the specific exterior scene.
I’m not sure if I will be able to see the exhibit, but even just learning about it, heightens my awareness of the photographic opportunities to be had in a room with a window. We’ll see what emerges over the spring and into summer as more light pours down from the sky. Meanwhile, for more information about the exhibit, visit here.
Words + Images 