Omploegen van sawah's. 1900 - 1935

This stereo card titled 'Omploegen van sawah's' was created by Neville Keasberry sometime between 1880 and 1920. Look at the way he’s captured the muddy earth, the still water, and the distant horizon! You can almost feel the humid air and hear the sounds of rural life. I imagine Keasberry, setting up his camera, carefully framing the scene, and waiting for the right moment to capture the image. What was it like to stand there, observing the workers, the landscape, and the light? What caught his eye, and what did he want to convey through this image? And those tiny figures in the field, each caught in their own world of labor, bending and tilling the land. Each gesture communicates feeling, intention, and meaning. Keasberry's wider body of work focuses on capturing the landscapes and people of the Dutch East Indies, providing a glimpse into a world that is both familiar and foreign. It reminds me that artists are in conversation across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. I can only imagine that ambiguity and uncertainty allows for multiple interpretations.