Boomkwekerij van de Firma K. van Nes & Zonen te Apeldoorn c. 1900 - 1940

This slightly out-of-focus photograph, made by Richard Tepe, shows the Boomkwekerij van de Firma K. van Nes & Zonen te Apeldoorn, the title translating roughly to "Tree Nursery of the Company K. van Nes & Sons in Apeldoorn." The whole thing is suffused with this warm, hazy tone, like an old memory. It's not crisp or sharp, and I love that! It's like the opposite of Instagram. Look at the way the light softens the edges of those little fir trees, almost blurring them into one another, and there's a bunch of guys standing around somewhere near the back. There's a tension here between clarity and obscurity. The details are murky, but the overall composition feels grounded. It reminds me of some of Gerhard Richter's blurred paintings, or even some of the Impressionists. It’s more about atmosphere than specifics and about the way things slip and slide and fade. It’s not about one single meaning. It's a vibe.