Edward Weston

When I first saw this photo I was perplexed because I thought Weston had taken a photograph of a painting.  After further examination, I realized that the stroke-like patterns in the subject of the piece is the bark of a tree.  The way that Weston has photographed the root of the cypress tree makes it difficult to make out what the actual object is.  Instead, he focuses on the texture of the object and the different shapes the bark makes.  The inclusion of the flowers along the top of of the cypress root give context to what the environment is like.  Without the flowers in the scene, it would have been much more difficult for the viewer to figure out what the main subject is.  If Robert Weston had decided to zoom in just a little farther and focus on the tree bark, it would be extremely difficult to figure out what the subject is without further explanation.  The wide range of values and textures are what make this piece dynamic, striking and successful.