Pagina 130 van fotoboek van de Algemeene Vereeniging van Rubberplanters ter Oostkust van Sumatra (A.V.R.O.S.) c. 1924 - 1925

This is ‘Pagina 130 van fotoboek van de Algemeene Vereeniging van Rubberplanters ter Oostkust van Sumatra (A.V.R.O.S.)’ by J.W. Meyster. It’s a photograph, so the marks are made by light and the decisions made by the photographer. The image has a sepia tone that gives the picture a feeling of distance. I love the way the photographer has captured the man’s dark clothing against the sharp agave plant. It's like the leaves are reaching out to touch him. This contrast is what creates the image, it’s a record of that moment of light and texture. It makes you wonder, what was he thinking? It reminds me of a Man Ray photograph because of its tonal qualities. Both are playing with the possibilities of light. What does it mean to record a person in time? It's about an exchange between the subject, the artist, and the plant itself. It is this back and forth that I think is the heart of image making.