Herbouw van het Kasteel van Wijchen 1908

This photographic print, "Reconstruction of Wijchen Castle" was made anonymously in June 1900 using a gelatin silver process. It’s a quiet scene, and in its tonality, it makes me think about process. I like that the castle itself is in a state of becoming. Scaffolding surrounds the building, so we see the bones of the structure, the way it was constructed. This makes me think about what it means to build something from scratch. Look at the contrast of light and shadow that defines the wooden beams and the solid structure beneath. You can almost feel the texture of the aged stone and newly placed timbers. The level of detail is incredible, you can almost see the individual grains in the wood. This attention to material reminds me of Bernd and Hilla Becher's typologies, or the stark architectural studies of Karl Blossfeldt. All of these works make the viewer consider the nature of material, how it shapes our world, and how we shape it in turn. It reminds me that art, like a castle, is an ongoing process of construction and reconstruction.