Drie mensen bij slaapvertrekken voor wandelaars in een berglandschap c. 1920 - 1945

This small black and white photograph, showing three figures outside sleeping quarters in a mountain landscape, was made by Geldolph Adriaan Kessler. The texture of the image is quite grainy, like a memory struggling to surface. It reminds me of some early Gerhard Richter paintings where he based paintings off of slightly out-of-focus or blurred photographs. The limited tonal range only adds to this effect. Look at the area between the figures. The ground seems to merge into the wall, creating a flattening effect as the textures blend together. The arrow pointing towards the sleeping quarters has a ghostly quality, almost as if the building itself is a figment of the imagination, a mirage for weary travelers. Like Richter, Kessler seems interested in the way that photography can both capture and obscure reality. It makes me wonder what those three figures standing outside the accommodation are thinking. Are they tired? Are they about to embark on an adventure? I love the mystery.