Palmentuin, Paramaribo 1903 - 1910

Hendrik Doijer made this photograph of the Palmentuin in Paramaribo, whenever, with whatever camera and film they had way back when. It's like walking into a forest of towering verticals, isn't it? Like a minimalist painting but, you know, real life. I imagine Doijer, squinting, trying to capture the overwhelming repetition of the trees, the way the light filters through the canopy. Did they feel dwarfed by the sheer scale, or exhilarated by the pattern? The tones feel so limited but strangely expressive; each tree trunk a slightly different shade of gray, each leaf a unique shape. The way the shadows fall across the ground, pulling you into the depths of the composition. You can almost smell the damp earth and feel the humidity, right? It reminds me of Agnes Martin's grids, but organic, alive, and swaying in the breeze. It’s like Doijer is saying, "Hey, look at this place, this moment. It’s both simple and infinitely complex." And that’s what keeps us artists going, that never-ending search for the extraordinary in the ordinary.