Moon and wall encrustations, New York

Minor White adopted Alfred Stieglitz’s idea of equivalence—the depiction of something physical to suggest a subjective or emotional truth. To this end, White made images that invited various readings. This one depicts the residue of water seeping through a cracked concrete wall, but suggests something more celestial.

White was an influential artist, teacher, and writer. He taught at the California School of Fine Arts, Rochester Institute of Technology, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1952, he became the founding editor of Aperture magazine, an important voice for artistic photographic practice.