Near Nonnenwerth Island 1937

August Sander made this photograph, Near Nonnenwerth Island, with gelatin silver. It's a landscape, but not in the pretty picture postcard kind of way. There's a sense of distance, a kind of cool observation at play here. You can feel the air, the slight haze, and the way the light catches on the water. The tones are so subtle. See how he's worked with blacks, whites, and grays to create depth? Your eye travels from the dark, almost impenetrable trees in the foreground all the way back to the hazy mountains in the distance. I find myself focusing on the curves of the river. The way it bends and flows feels almost like a gesture, a drawn line. This isn't just a picture of a place. It's about seeing, about the act of looking. This reminds me of the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher, who photographed industrial structures with a similar cool, detached eye. But unlike the Bechers, this landscape feels alive, with a sense of unfolding narrative. It's a conversation, a way of seeing that keeps evolving.