Gezicht op een kudde schapen before 1900

Curator: So, here we have “Gezicht op een kudde schapen,” a photographic print by Otto Rau, dating from before 1900. It looks to me like a book or a journal has been laid open. Editor: Exactly! At first glance, it gives off this strangely muted feeling, like seeing a memory through fogged-up glasses. I’m also struck by how such a small photographic print is paired with all that text and diagram. What do you make of this photograph of a herd of sheep nestled into a photography journal? Curator: Ah, isn't it fascinating? For me, placing it within the context of a photography journal from before 1900 infuses this rustic pastoral scene with an air of early technological fascination. In fact, seeing the tiny photograph in relationship to those angular, severe diagrams is part of its charm. But think for a moment... Editor: Please, do tell! Curator: Considering that Otto Rau, the photographer, probably conceptualized photography as another visual method akin to drawing or painting, is this simply documentation? Is it something more? Do the sheep have a story to tell? Perhaps Rau seeks to elevate a common sight to high art with help from scientific inquiry, or vice versa? Editor: So it's like he's bridging the gap between art and science? Curator: Perhaps so. Or just having a bit of fun. What do you think? Editor: It is amazing to see the unexpected connections between nature and technology highlighted here; I now see this quiet countryside photo in a completely new light, as a moment in time where old and new collide.