Cracked Linoleum, Northumberland

The son of a San Francisco photographer, Merg Ross began making pictures as a child, honing his skills through infor-mal print viewings with a close family friend, the noted photographer Edward Weston. With a large-format cam-era, Ross composed closeup abstractions of abandoned machinery or ice formations. In 1959, having just finished high school, he planned a cross-country trip to visit var-ious photographers whom he admired. At the top of this list was Aaron Siskind in Chicago, known for painterly images of walls, and Ross was delighted when the photog-rapher generously welcomed him. In 1963 Hugh Edwards acquired four of Ross’s West Coast scenes; the following year, Siskind donated three additional abstract works, including this geometric depiction of cracked linoleum.