Why Photography: A Window, a Breath and Visual Diversity
In homes across our region, paintings remain the dominant choice for wall decor. And rightly so – their symbolism, technique, and artistic signature bring a sense of authenticity. However, precisely because the choices often follow similar paths,especially in smaller markets, visual saturation starts to appear: walls begin to look alike, lacking true rhythm and balance.
In such an environment, photography arrives as a much-needed pause..
Photography is not a substitute – it is another kind of window
Unlike a painting, which invites imagination and symbolic interpretation, photography – especially landscape or architectural – functions as a window to the world beyond the room. It doesn’t seek to be interpreted; it simply asks to be experienced.
French theorist Roland Barthes, in Camera Lucida, describes photography as a direct link to reality:
“A photograph is literally an emanation of the referent.”
This means that when we place a landscape photograph on the wall, we’re not merely adding an image – we’re bringing in a fragment of a real space that once existed. It’s not fiction, but an interpretation of the real world, and that gives it a unique emotional charge.
A breathing wall: rhythm and texture through contrast
In spaces where similar artistic styles dominate, photography acts as a visual exhale. It brings balance and allows surrounding elements to breathe. John Berger, in his influential book Ways of Seeing, wrote:
“The way we see things is affected by what we know and what we believe.”
Photography, without the weight of narrative, becomes a moment of spontaneous seeing. It doesn’t ask for interpretation – it simply opens a view. Like a window within the room.
Contemporary interiors need contrast
When curating a gallery wall, the biggest challenge isn’t that everything fits – but that the space doesn’t lose rhythm. By combining paintings with photographic prints, we introduce layering. Photography, especially in black and white or subtle landscape tones, brings visual stillness that allows other elements to shine.
Contemporary curator and author Charlotte Cotton writes in The Photograph as Contemporary Art that photography is no longer just a document – it’s a tool of interpretation and a spatial strategy.
Photography as visual architecture
Artist James Turrell is known for his work with light and space. His installations often function as literal windows into the sky. Though not a photographer, his thinking around light and perception beautifully mirrors the role of photography in interior design.
Turrell says:
“It’s not about what you’re looking at, but about how you’re looking.”
In that sense, photography within a space acts as an architectural element – not merely as decoration, but as a spatial extension. It adds depth where there is none. Perspective where everything feels flat. A breath where the air feels dense.
Conclusion: Photography is space
Ultimately, photography in interiors is not “just another picture.” It is a different kind of presence. It carries with it a moment, light, stillness – and often, what modern walls need most: natural rhythm.
When combined with paintings, photography doesn’t lose its value. On the contrary, it amplifies the expressiveness of everything around it. And it offers something no other form can: a window where there wasn’t one before.
