Trommel 1931 - 1937

This photograph, of a trommel, an industrial screening device, was taken by an anonymous artist, and is now kept at the Rijksmuseum. It’s amazing to think of this photographer setting up their camera, probably a large format, in what appears to be a factory setting, to capture this almost surreal object, like something from a science fiction movie. The stark black and white palette gives it an almost haunting quality, and the industrial setting adds layers to the narrative. I wonder what the photographer was thinking. Were they interested in capturing the machine's geometry, the play of light on its metal surface? There is a relationship between different kinds of art making, between abstraction and figuration, between painting and photography. We're all looking at each other's work, thinking, 'How can I respond to that?'