1957 (negative); 1976 (print)

The Driveway, Orgeval

Paul Strand

American, 1890 - 1976

A filmmaker as well as a still photographer, Paul Strand turned to the use of sequenced images early in his career. His first portfolio, Photographs of Mexico, was issued in 1940, and used a cinematically inspired arrangement of images to present a dignified, heroic portrait of village life. The project became a model for his subsequent depictions of places including the Hebrides, Italy, France, and Egypt, which were issued as books. Late in his career, Strand returned to the portfolio format and created On My Doorstep, a collection of his best-known images, as well as this loving tribute to his garden in Orgeval, France.

In his text for this portfolio, Strand refers to the garden as his observatory, and writes: "For the artist the moment of seeing can also be a moment of revelation. Such moments are closely related to those of the scientist when he discovers his hypotheses concur with the structures and organizations of nature, either by a lucky chance or as a result of patient research. In art as in science, both chance and research contribute to opening up new dimensions of harmony for man within his environment."