Bronzen sculptuur van een os aan een rivier bij het Zomerpaleis te Peking before 1920

This photograph by Donald Mennie captures a bronze sculpture of an ox near a river at the Summer Palace in Peking. The image is structured through a stark contrast between the dark, densely packed trees and the light, open sky. This division creates a visual tension, drawing the eye between the natural, untamed elements and the structured, man-made architecture of the Summer Palace. The bronze ox, though central to the title, is almost camouflaged within the darker tones, which is a semiotic interplay between nature and culture. The photograph seems to destabilize any clear distinction between what is natural and what is constructed. The use of sepia tones flattens the perspective, emphasizing the photograph's surface and its inherent qualities. What we're left with is not just a representation of a place, but an exploration of how photography itself shapes our perception and understanding of space and form.