Gezicht op een regeringsgebouw in Johannesburg, Zuid-Afrika 1901

This stereoscopic card from Johannesburg, South Africa, captures a government building with understated sepia tones. Imagine the anonymous photographer, lugging their equipment around, trying to frame a perfect shot of the building and the people milling about. The architecture is classic colonial, serious and solid. What was it like to stand in that square back then? What were the hopes and fears of the people in the photograph? The light and shadows play across the facade, giving it a sense of depth and weight. It reminds me of early modernist painting, the way forms are simplified and reduced to their essential shapes. It’s like a conversation between photography and painting. I love the way the anonymous artist captured this moment in time, giving us a glimpse into a world that feels both familiar and distant. It’s a reminder that artists are always building on the work of those who came before, and that the conversation between art and life is never-ending.