Gezelschap kijkt toe bij bandenwissel van automobiel, vermoedelijk in de Franse Alpen 1903

This photograph by Delizy captures a roadside tire change, likely taken in the French Alps. The monochromatic tones give it a dreamy, aged quality, like a memory fading at the edges. I’m drawn to the textural contrast – the smooth, almost delicate quality of the women's dresses against the rough, functional attire of the men working on the car. Look closely at the spare tires leaning against the vehicle. They are almost sculptural in their roundness. This is juxtaposed with the labor of the men fixing the car, their bodies bent in a silent, strenuous ballet. The women with their parasols create an intriguing composition, a silent audience observing the mechanical drama unfolding before them. It reminds me of some of Manet's paintings, where the everyday becomes monumental. Art is all about these conversations across time, echoing and answering each other, don't you think?