Visit to an Oil Field in Purissima Hills, USA Possibly 1908

This photograph of an oil field in Purissima Hills, USA, was taken by Geldolph Adriaan Kessler. It's a scene where nature and industry meet, or maybe even clash. I’m interested in the texture of this image. It's not just about what's depicted, but how it's depicted: the grainy quality of the photograph. Look at the way the tones blend into each other, creating a sense of depth and distance. The oil field structures seem almost to grow out of the landscape itself, a merging of the industrial and the natural. See the sharp contrast between the natural form of the hill and the straight lines of the man-made structures. It reminds me of the paintings of Marsden Hartley, the way he uses form to convey emotion. This photograph, like Hartley’s paintings, invites us to consider the complex relationship between humanity and the environment.