Doors

Every year since 1982, the RISD Council of PTAs holds a used book fair to help raise funds to support scholarships for graduating seniors and continuing education for teachers. While other members of my family spent their time in different sections, I parked myself in the Fine Art section looking for books on photography. One of my finds this year is Doors, published by MetroBooks.

As we shared our finds, like hunters returning from the hunt, I received blank stares and amused looks when sharing this book with my family. “You got a book with pictures of doors?” they questioned. I then explained that photographs of doors are a study in shape, texture, and color.

Photos of doors are not just photos of doors. They represent how cultures express themselves. In many ways, the structure and makeup of a door represent the value of what is behind it. When presented with a solid, massive door, one asks oneself, what are they trying to keep out, or even better, what are they trying to keep in?

According to the publishers, “…doors form the transition points between our public and private worlds, their appearance matters.”

Doors often represent the beginning or end of something and are a prominent theme in religious texts.

Doors is a thin book, coming in at around 70 pages. Other than 3 pages of introduction, there are no other words or descriptions, and while there is a list of photography credits on the last page of the book listing photographer and page number, there are no page numbers anywhere in the book, making the credits a little less useful.

All in all, it is a nice little book, and, as I said at the beginning, for me, this book is a study in shape, texture, and color, which I enjoy.