Heiligenweg te Paramaribo 1903 - 1910

This photograph, Heiligenweg te Paramaribo, was taken by Hendrik Doijer. Look at how the whole image is built up of a layered series of horizontals: the road, the raised walkway, the buildings, even the telephone wires above. The palms lift the eye upward, but these linear forms create a flattening effect, compressing space. The photograph has a grainy quality, a textured surface. I love how the artist uses shadow to define the architectural elements. The light and shadow create an almost abstract pattern. At the bottom right the photographer has signed the photograph. You get the sense of the photographer as a person, standing in a particular spot at a particular time. This piece reminds me of some of the early photographs by Eugène Atget. Like Atget, Doijer captures the atmosphere of a place and time. And like Atget, Doijer embraces a kind of ambiguity, allowing the viewer to bring their own associations to the image.