Vlakken met hazelaartakken en een hagedis before 1897

Editor: This is "Vlakken met hazelaartakken en een hagedis," a photograph created before 1897 by an anonymous artist. The photographic arrangements show hazel branches and a lizard enclosed within geometric spaces. It reminds me a bit of botanical illustrations mixed with a modernist grid. What catches your eye when you look at it? Curator: Ah, it's utterly enchanting, isn't it? Like a captured moment from a fairytale forest! I'm particularly drawn to the interplay between the natural elements—the delicate hazel branches, promising new life, against the cold geometry. It's a bit melancholic to see these vibrant forms frozen in time, sectioned and classified, almost as though pinned to a butterfly collector's board. What's the little lizard telling us as it looks to the side? Editor: A sense of restriction, maybe? I do find the lizard slightly unsettling. The rigid planes contrast so strongly with the organic flow of the branches. Did these early photographers often play with these conflicting themes? Curator: Indeed! Early photography often grappled with capturing 'reality' while also embracing artistic expression. These artists played in the tensions, challenging what a photograph could and should convey, from science, record, memory or dream. Maybe they saw the planes not as constricting, but offering tiny frames into alternate worlds? Editor: I hadn't considered it that way. Viewing them as portals is an intriguing twist. It prompts me to view it as not still at all, like it is always changing and just paused to take a picture of. Curator: Yes, that makes all the difference to my impression, thank you. See how our own perspective is everchanging? This is art always helping to breathe new air in the atmosphere of feeling!