Middellandse Zee bij Griekenland before 1910

These silver gelatin prints of the Mediterranean in Greece by Frédéric Boissonnas are like quiet symphonies of light and water. I can imagine Boissonnas, squinting into the distance, waiting for that perfect moment when the light kissed the sea just so. It's funny how photography, like painting, is all about waiting. Waiting for something to happen, or waiting for something to reveal itself. Here, the sea is flat like a canvas, ready to receive whatever the sky throws at it. The clouds look like they've been painted in broad strokes, mirroring the choppy rhythm of the waves. I love how these photographs capture the feeling of being on the edge of something vast and unknowable. There's a loneliness to it, sure, but also a kind of quiet exhilaration. Boissonnas is in conversation with centuries of painters who looked out at the water and wondered.