Bezoek aan Hainburg an der Donau, Oostenrijk 1930 - 1931

This is "Visit to Hainburg on the Danube, Austria" by Berti Hoppe, and it's from an album. It's all black and white, with these rectangles of light amid a dark, textured page, the layout is part of the work, it's a presentation, a collection of views, like a personal scrapbook, or travel journal. I'm really drawn to the texture of the dark background page, almost like sandpaper. Then there are the photographs themselves, documenting architecture, a church, and a charnel house. These are places of gathering, or solitude, places of worship, but also places where the remains of the dead are kept. There is a strong contrast, it feels like a collage that plays with the interplay of light and shadow, the contrasts add a layer of depth and intrigue, inviting you to delve deeper into the stories embedded within each image. Hoppe's photographic style is similar to that of Karl Blossfeldt, who also collected images into typologies. Both emphasize the act of looking closely, revealing the beauty and wonder in the often-overlooked details of the everyday world. It's an invitation to really look, and see.