Boer en boerin aan het werk op het land before 1903

This black and white photograph by John H. Gear shows a farmer and his wife working the land. The limited tonal range, mostly grayscale, gives it a timeless, almost dreamlike quality. It reminds me that artmaking, in any medium, is about process – a layering of choices, actions, and reactions. Look closely at the texture – the way the light falls on the field. It’s rough, uneven, full of contrast. You can almost feel the physicality of the work, the sweat and toil. And then there's the way the figures are cropped, almost swallowed by the vastness of the field. It’s like a metaphor for the human condition – our struggles, our connection to the earth, our impermanence. Gear’s photograph reminds me of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, who also captured the lives of peasants with such dignity and pathos. Both artists remind us that art isn’t about perfection or answers; it’s about asking questions, embracing ambiguity, and seeing the world in new ways.