Kristallen van licht en donker kwarts c. 1900 - 1940

"Kristallen van licht en donker kwarts" was made by Farbenphotographischen Gesellschaft using, well, a color photograph. It's a stereograph, which means it was made to be seen in 3D, and it's all about capturing light and dark. The colors are muted, almost smoky, which gives it a real depth. The texture looks smooth, but I bet if you could touch it, it would have some grit, like the real thing. The dark crystal has these light parts in it, like it’s holding secrets. There’s a smaller crystal poking out on the left, like a little surprise. It reminds me of when I try to capture light in my paintings, letting colors mix and mingle to find that perfect glow. Looking at this, I think about the early days of photography and the quest to capture the world in all its complexity, not unlike the German artist, August Kotzsch, who also embraced photography to share our collective experience with nature. It’s a reminder that art is always about exploring, experimenting, and seeing things in new ways.