Pakijs ten noordwesten van Spitsbergen before 1913

This photograph by Wilse captures pack ice northwest of Spitsbergen. I can almost feel the cold seeping out of this image, the way the light reveals the craggy, broken surface of the ice. Just thinking about being out there, the vastness of the Arctic, the sense of isolation—it's pretty intense! You know, it makes you wonder what Wilse was thinking, standing there with their camera. Were they scared? Exhilarated? Probably both! The monochromatic palette really emphasizes the texture of the ice. Each crack and crevice tells a story of pressure and movement. It reminds me of gestural abstraction, where every line and mark carries a weight of intention and emotion. You can see that same kind of expressive force here. It is like nature’s own abstract painting. It is as if the ocean were painting in a kind of action painting method.