Simplicity

What is it about a simple peeling wall with a shadow and a foreground element that makes an image so intriguing?  There are no people and no action.   I know that when I look at this and similar images, it makes my mind wander, whether about the particular image or not.  Sometimes, you feel the texture of the wall, the cracks in the wall board.  The radiator reminds of my childhood where we had these for our heat. It reminds me of the dozen or so layers of paint that are typical of radiators of this era.  It reminds of the clanking sound when they started heating up or when they cooled.  So maybe, it a reminder of an era gone by but something that relates to my youth.  It makes me wonder if someone half my age would react similarly or whether they have another set of feelings that makes this image intriguing to them.