Villa des Brillants in Meudon c. 1905 - 1920

This photograph, Villa des Brillants in Meudon, was captured by Albert Harlingue, and there’s a beautiful, almost mournful, approach to the greyscale. It's a reminder that art is, in many ways, an ongoing, conversational process. Looking closely at this image, what strikes me is the texture. The grain of the photograph feels like the artistic intention. It's almost as if the surface of the photo itself is another layer of meaning, like the impasto of oil paint. The way light plays on the wall and the grass in the foreground adds depth, drawing you into this quiet, almost ghost-like scene. It feels like an early Atget, or maybe even a later painting by Gerhard Richter. But Harlingue's photograph has a perspective all of its own. It's about feeling and about making us feel, embracing ambiguity rather than giving us all the answers.