Archeologische opgravingen in Hongarije 1928

This is a photograph by Jan Lanting, it depicts an archeological site in Hungary, made with a camera and photographic materials. The tones are grayscale, running between dark and light, giving it a somber air. The surface of the site itself is pockmarked with holes, like the lunar surface, or even a kind of wound, opened up to the elements, to questioning, to interpretation. The texture of the photograph shows traces of the process, where the light has hit certain areas of the ground in a way that creates a feeling of depth and scale. It is easy to imagine the artist making the journey, perhaps several times to this site, setting up equipment, framing, shooting, developing. There is something here that reminds me of Robert Smithson, in that the image is both a form of objective record and a creative act. And as in Smithson's work, this piece is very much about the passage of time, and the ambiguities of history.