Fotoreproductie van een schilderij van Friedrich Perlberg, voorstellend de Kolossen van Memnon in Thebe before 1905

This small reproduction presents Friedrich Perlberg’s painting of the Colossi of Memnon in Thebes. Its atmospheric perspective, rendered through subtle gradations of tone, is what grabs me. Look at the way the warm yellows and oranges of the sky meet the cool grays and blues of the desert landscape. This hazy meeting creates a sense of depth, but it also flattens the image, like a stage set. Notice the rough texture of the paper; these imperfections and irregularities allow the image to live in the world. See how the figures are merely suggested, almost dissolving into the landscape. It's in the details like this that you can trace the artist's hand, their decision-making, their way of seeing. It reminds me a bit of the work of someone like David Bomberg, with the flattening of perspective, and the sense of an ongoing dialogue between observation and interpretation. We are reminded that art is not about definitive answers but rather about possibilities, about the conversations we have with ourselves and with each other.