Meer gelegen aan een park 1903

This photographic landscape by Geldolph Adriaan Kessler captures a park scene, probably made with a camera obscura given how hazy and dreamlike it is. I can only imagine Kessler, carefully positioning his camera, waiting for the right light to filter through the trees. The composition almost feels accidental, like a snapshot of a fleeting moment. I bet he spent ages trying to get the tones just right in the darkroom. There's this lovely tunnel effect, where the trees converge and your eye is drawn to the light at the end. The texture feels soft and dreamy. The whole piece resonates with a sense of quiet contemplation, and the solitude of being in nature. It reminds me of some of the early Impressionist paintings, where artists were trying to capture the effects of light and atmosphere. All artists are magpies, picking up ideas from each other across time. This photograph, to me, is an invitation to slow down, breathe, and simply be present.