Still Life c. 1908 - 1909

This is a still life photograph by Heinrich Kuhn. I find myself drawn to the way the light delicately embraces the objects – a teacup, a glass, a sugar bowl. The monochrome palette gives everything a hazy, dreamlike quality. It's almost like Kuhn is painting with light, isn't it? The surfaces, oh, they're everything! The way the light glazes over the china, reflecting the surroundings. The liquid in the glass which could have been rendered as something flat is given a life of its own, a liquid volume which ripples with light. It's like a whisper, inviting you to lean in, to feel the quiet weight of the world. It has a similar feel to some of the still life photography by people like Man Ray. It's a reminder that art isn't about showing us something new, but offering a new way of seeing what's always been there. It’s about ambiguity and imagination.