Sierheester tegen egale achtergrond c. 1900 - 1940

Richard Tepe made this photograph, Sierheester tegen egale achtergrond, sometime between 1864 and 1952. It's hard to know exactly when, you know? There's this pale light, and the image seems to hover between presence and absence. It reminds me a bit of those photograms that painters like Moholy-Nagy were making – these ghostly impressions. I can imagine Tepe in his darkroom, coaxing this image to life, playing with light and shadow, maybe even holding his breath a little! What's so interesting is how photography can become a kind of drawing. There are the soft edges and delicate textures, not unlike a charcoal sketch. It makes you consider what it means to capture something, to really see it, and how that relates to other art forms. It is like nature is conversing with the artist and with the viewer. There’s a real sense of exchange and possibility.