Amsterdam IV c. 1900 - 1910

Henricus Jacobus Tollens made this photograph, "Amsterdam IV," sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century with what looks to be a large format camera. The image is almost monochromatic, with a range of greys and browns which gives the scene a timeless quality, like looking at something from a distant memory. The texture is smooth, revealing the grain of the photographic paper. You can see where the image begins to fade towards the edges, and these material aspects enhance the dreamlike quality of the scene. My eye is drawn to the network of pipes and scaffolding on the boat, all these forms are echoed in the reflections on the water. Tollens' photograph shares an affinity with the work of Eugène Atget. Both artists depict scenes of everyday life with quiet reverence. Like so many artworks, it’s an ongoing exchange of ideas across time. It reminds us that art is not just about what we see, but how we see, and how we connect with the world around us.