Truckman's House, New York, from Portfolio Three

An extremely prolific photographer, Paul Strand devoted his work to an array of subject matter and photographic projects. His natural landscape scenes, which match the works of Ansel Adams in their serene beauty, are contrasted by images such as this one, a scene which overlooks a cluttered urban setting. A large billboard displaying a movie ad protrudes from the deserted landscape. Strand sought to express the distinctive character of each person and place he photographed, and his works carry an intensity and directness. Strand sought to "come to grips with the difficult reality of America," to capture images with a profound sense of place that were distinctly American. During the 1920s, he made several photographs of buildings and machines, the very things that were responsible for much of what he described as the "crassness and brutality of the American scene." His images bear no moral judgement, but instead reflect an objective interest in structure and substance.