Kasteel aan een water in een bosrijke omgeving c. 1905 - 1907

This photograph of a castle in a wooded landscape was taken by Folkert Idzes de Jong, sometime between 1877 and 1929. It’s a pretty classical composition, with the castle in the distance and water in the foreground, flanked by trees, but I'm really drawn to how the reflection in the water seems almost more present than the castle itself. The monochromatic palette certainly contributes to that effect. It's as if the artist is asking us to consider what is real versus what is a trick of the eye. Look at the surface of the water. How it's not smooth, but broken up with ripples and reflections. The way it obscures and distorts the image of the castle. It reminds me of the way Gerhard Richter uses blurred focus in his paintings to create a sense of distance and ambiguity. Ultimately, this photograph is a reminder that perception is always filtered through our own experiences. It’s a conversation about the nature of representation itself.