Jonge rijst aanwas planten in de Sawah 1900 - 1935

This is a stereoscopic photograph by Neville Keasberry, depicting young rice shoots being planted in a Javanese Sawah. The subtle variations in tone, from the almost white sky, to the dark figures in the foreground, are rendered with careful precision. There’s a textural quality here, where the surface of the water looks rough, and the reflection of the people planting is unclear. The way the artist has handled this effect is really interesting. It has a parallel in painting, where an artist can create an image with many layers, each contributing to the final effect. In this work, you can feel the artist's process, building up the image, creating depth, and capturing a moment in time. It reminds me of the photographs of Eugène Atget, who made a long-term study of the changing architecture of Paris. Both artists were interested in how to evoke a sense of place, creating a record that invites us to reflect on the passage of time.