Henry Wessel: Arizona, California, and Colorado

Henry Wessel (1942–2018), was a photographer inspired by the works of Wright Morris, Robert Frank, and Gary Winogrand. 

In 1971, Wessel was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship with the goal of documenting the American highway system. What resulted was a portfolio of the American vernacular and the continuation of his documentation of the everyday. Below I have selected three of my favorite works. 

IMAGE ONE

Tucson, Arizona 1976

IMAGE TWO

Venice, California 1973

IMAGE THREE

Venice, California 1973

I am particularly interested in all three of these images as they all document different aspects of American life: inside public spaces, the exterior of the home, and roadside America. With great attention to light, Wessel was able to capture the spaces that many of us know incredibly well: the mundane parts of life that seemingly lack much interest or beauty. His minimalist approach to photography lives throughout his every piece, allowing us to bask in the small wonders of the everyday: chairs, windows, blinds, façades, even a long-gone telephone booth. In fact, Wessel summed it all up quite eloquently:

It can happen anytime, anywhere. I mean, you don't have to be in front of stuff that's going to make a good photograph. It's possible anywhere.

By simply glancing at Wessel's work, we have the opportunity to view the world through a completely different mindset: the everyday is, in fact, a beautiful place to be.