Olietanks en boortoren 1903 - 1907

This photograph, of Olietanks en boortoren, captures an industrial landscape through a subtle grayscale palette. The anonymous photographer seems less concerned with perfection and more interested in capturing the scene before them. The image is dominated by the cylindrical forms of the oil tanks which almost feel like characters in a play, set against a backdrop of verdant foliage. You can almost feel the humidity of the atmosphere. The texture of the image, particularly in the foreground of the field, invites us to lean in and examine the details. The use of light and shadow blurs the boundaries between objects, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere. The composition is full of contrasts; the man-made structures and the natural landscape, the geometric forms and the organic shapes. This kind of interplay reminds me of Gerhard Richter’s blurred paintings, where clarity and ambiguity coexist. Much like Richter, the artist here seems to embrace the process of image-making as a way of exploring the world and the ways in which we perceive it.