I really do enjoy walking to work along 20th Street. Like any other major city, this downtown Philadelphia street has its share of businesses, office buildings and people all vying for attention. However, what I really notice is the street and it is mostly out of self-preservation. I must look down so I won’t fall (or twist my ankle) on the uneven sidewalk. (I’ve done that a few times and it really hurts.) Everyone who has walked these uneven city streets knows how easy it is to fall and how bad it feels when you land on your…whatever. So, I look down and watch where I walk. (There are other good reasons to watch where you walk in a city… but I don’t need to mention the unmentionable.)
As I was walking to work today, my eyes soaked up the gritty urban textures of cement, asphalt, pebbles and paint, with embedded bits and pieces of street junk. As I continued walking and looking down, I thought of Irving Penn’s series of eye-opening photographs called Underfoot. This wonderful series was exhibited at The Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2004 and I remember being completely blown away by those images.
I noticed some wonderful spray-paint markings on the streets due to repairs and resurfacing. Fortunately, I had my camera with me (of course!) and captured some of the vivid day-glo orange spray-paint.
There was a spinner in the street (perfectly poised next to a big blob of a line gone all drippy) and I thought about my friend, Harry Schwalb, who has drawn dozens, maybe even hundreds, of them, each spinner infused with personality and delicate beauty. This lone spinner next to an overweight, drippy line Aaron Siskind would have loved gave me a thrill. I honor all three artists in this particular photo which I have titled, Underfoot. The blobby, painted line with drips is for Siskind, the maple spinner for Schwalb and the general subject matter and title an homage to Penn. You can view these photos on my Flickr site to see them in their original size with greater detail. (See Intersection and Underfoot.)
What a day! Thank you Irving Penn, Aaron Siskind and Harry Schwalb–your artistic vision inspires me in countless ways.
Content and photos copyright 2007 by Janet Towbin.
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