Maagdenstraat in Paramaribo met bomen en voorbijgangers before 1927

Eugen Klein made this photoprint of the Maagdenstraat in Paramaribo sometime between 1885 and 1927. It's a study in blacks, greys and whites, a delicate balance between light and dark. You can almost feel Klein experimenting here, seeing how much detail he can get away with obscuring. The beauty of this image lies in its textures. Look at the way the light bounces off the leaves of the palm trees, each frond a tiny explosion of light. Then there's the soft, blurred edges of the figures walking down the street, they are a study in movement. The way Klein captures the sense of a hot, humid day is masterful. It's almost like he's saying, "Here's a world, filtered through my own perception." You might think of the photo collages of someone like David Hockney, who also revels in the joy of juxtaposing different perspectives and playing with time and space. Ultimately, art is an invitation, not a declaration.