Rots in een bergpas in Béni Ounif Possibly 1927

A.G.A. van Eelde made this photograph of rocks in a mountain pass in Béni Ounif. It has a muted palette, almost monochromatic, giving it an ethereal, timeless quality. The texture is the thing here. It feels like you could reach out and touch the rough, uneven surface of the rocks. See the way the light catches on the edges, creating a play of shadows that emphasizes the three-dimensionality of the scene? The detail in the stone almost feels like the hand of the artist is present in the work, though it is a photograph, suggesting a deep consideration of the material and how the photograph is capturing it. This image reminds me a little of some of Alfred Stieglitz's cloud studies, where he was trying to capture the essence of a feeling through the depiction of natural forms. It's all about finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, and reminding us that art is an ongoing conversation across time, and really, a reminder that ambiguity is great.