Gezicht op de Grote of Sint-Stevenskerk in Nijmegen before 1915

This is an undated, anonymous rendering of the Grote of Sint-Stevenskerk in Nijmegen, made by an unknown process. It's got that lovely sepia tone, like an old photograph, which gives everything a melancholy feel. What strikes me is the way the artist handled the texture of the stone. See how rough and uneven it is? It almost feels like you could reach out and touch it. And then there's the light. It's not harsh or glaring, but soft and diffused, like it's filtering through a hazy sky. It really softens the architectural details. I keep thinking about Giorgio Morandi and his still lifes, how he could take the simplest objects and make them so profound. This artist has done something similar here, they have taken a familiar subject, a church, and turned it into something mysterious and evocative. For me, it's a reminder that art isn't just about what you see, but how you see it.