Grove den of pijnboom c. 1900 - 1930

Editor: This is Richard Tepe's "Grove den of pijnboom" – a photographic work from around 1900-1930, currently housed at the Rijksmuseum. There’s a certain quietness about this photograph, almost like the world is holding its breath. What aspects of the piece do you find most compelling? Curator: I’m drawn to the material elements that comprise this image. The tactile quality of the photographic paper itself, the way light interacts with the silver grains, revealing the density and texture of the pine. It makes me consider the industrial processes involved in photography at that time. What social conditions enabled Tepe to create this landscape, and who was its intended audience? The consumption of this image by collectors or through publications also raises interesting questions. Editor: That’s interesting! I hadn’t considered it beyond its artistic value. How does the pictorialist style play into that reading? Curator: Pictorialism as a movement deliberately softened photographic imagery, mimicking painterly effects. This obfuscation served to elevate photography from a mere recording device into fine art, worthy of collection and patronage, shaping new economic incentives. What can this tell us about labor and value during this period? Editor: So, the artistic choices themselves reflect larger socioeconomic shifts? Curator: Exactly. Think about the chemicals used to develop this image. Where were they sourced? Who handled them? The materiality inherently contains these unseen narratives, the labor and environmental implications so often obscured by a focus solely on aesthetics. Editor: Wow, I’ll never look at a landscape photograph the same way again! Thanks! Curator: It is a dialogue. Considering those obscured elements helps bring these histories to light and transforms our understanding of image making.