Poterne des Peupliers 1913

Eugène Atget captured Poterne des Peupliers with a camera, the print a humble sepia. I wonder what Atget was thinking, wandering around turn-of-the-century Paris? Was he just documenting stuff, or was he kinda melancholy, too? I see this hillside scene—a shack, some overgrown bushes, a little building. It’s got this thrown-together vibe. The light is flat, kinda sad. Maybe he was thinking about how things change, how cities grow and crumble. Like, this spot feels forgotten, like a secret. It’s not fancy or grand. I imagine Atget, lugging his equipment, drawn to these in-between places. Like a painter, searching for the right light, the right feeling. He’s making art out of the ordinary. And through his eyes, we see the strange beauty of the overlooked. Artists, right? Always digging for something real in the mess.