Bezienswaardigheden in Wenen en omstreken 1930 - 1931

This page from Berti Hoppe's album, 'Sights in and around Vienna,' probably made with photographs in the early 20th century, captures a sense of place through its monochrome images. There is an interesting tension between the crisp detail in the architectural shots and the overall faded quality, which lends a dreamlike filter to the scene. I keep coming back to the top left image. The composition of the frame is dominated by the tall walls that run almost parallel up the frame. It is the negative space in the top centre of the frame, where the road appears to end, that allows for a feeling of depth. It's like peeking into a moment frozen in time. This piece reminds me of Eugène Atget's photographs of Paris. Both artists share a knack for finding beauty in the everyday, turning ordinary scenes into something quietly profound. It's in that stillness, that sense of captured light and shadow, that the real magic happens. Art is less about answers and more about opening up a space for seeing differently.