Clarence H. White

Photo Secessionists such as Clarence H. White began manipulating light, shade, and transparency to visually flatten photographs and distinguish the abilities of the camera from other media. In this image the window is translucent and the presumed landscape behind it is limited to shades of gray with no distinctive forms, creating a smooth plane of changing black and white tones. Raindrops appear as two-dimensional dots suspended in the middle ground of the photograph, taking on the smooth texture of the space behind the window. In the foreground, the large glass globe imitates the flat surface of the window behind it. Additionally, the globe is lit so that there are no shadows cast, only a circle of light tracing its circumference, rendering it two dimensional.