Freischwimmer 155

Despite what your eyes might tell you, there are no cameras or paintbrushes involved here. Wolfgang Tillmans made this image without a camera at all, working directly with light and chemicals on photographic paper in the darkroom. The German artist, known mostly for his honest snapshots of everyday life, surprised many people when he started making these abstract works. The "Freischwimmer" series, which translates roughly to "free swimmer," became some of his most celebrated pieces.

What you see are flowing forms in deep greens and shadowy blacks, looking a bit like ink spreading through water or smoke caught in a breeze. Tillmans created these effects by moving light sources across the paper and letting the chemicals do their thing, so the results are part planning and part happy accident. There is something soothing yet mysterious about it, almost like staring into a pond and not quite knowing what lies beneath. It reminds us that photography does not always need a subject to be beautiful. Sometimes the process itself becomes the picture.