Drie vrienden van Dolph Kessler op een grasveld c. 1903 - 1904

This is a photograph by Geldolph Adriaan Kessler, of three friends on a grassy field, its date unknown. There's a lot of texture in this photograph, a real layering of light and shadow; Geldolph Kessler has worked with a limited tonal range to create a surprisingly varied image. You can feel the earth under the grass and the rough bark of the tree. I wonder, were they posing? I imagine them settling into place, maybe a bit restless. The guy with the pipe seems to be saying, “hurry up, will you?” And it makes me think about other artists too, like, say, Gerhard Richter, who painted from photos, using their stillness as a kind of counterpoint to the fluidity of paint. Each artist picks up something from the last, right? They make it their own, run with it. It is not just about documenting a moment in time but making it into a conversation that goes on and on. A photo, like a painting, it's never really finished, it is just waiting for someone else to come along and add their two cents.