Spuitleiding Mäabo 1900 - 1906

Augusta Curiel made this photograph of Spuitleiding Mäabo using what looks like a large format camera with a glass plate negative. The way she’s captured the light, it's almost painterly, you know? I love how the leaves in the foreground create this dark, lacy curtain. It’s like we're peeking through a secret window. The texture of the earth, especially that exposed bank, is amazing. You can almost feel the weight of it. The way the light hits the water, creating those shimmering reflections, it’s really something. There's this one spot, right where the water meets the bank, it's blurred, almost dissolving. And the contrast with the sharpness of the leaves, it's just beautiful. It reminds me a bit of some of the Hudson River School painters, like Frederic Church, but with a more intimate, personal touch. Ultimately, it's a reminder that art is always a conversation, a back-and-forth across time.