Versailles, Enlèvement de Proserpine par Pluton par Girardon, (detail) 1904

This is a photograph by Eugène Atget, a detail of Girardon’s sculpture ‘The Abduction of Proserpine by Pluto’ at Versailles. The monochromatic palette makes it feel almost like a drawing and I’m immediately drawn to the texture and the way the light plays across the surface. Look closely at the wheel of Pluto’s chariot, each spoke and indentation is so clearly defined. Then, in contrast, notice the way the figures almost blend into the background, especially towards the top of the column. There’s a sense of depth and compression, an almost dreamlike quality to the scene. Atget's photographs remind me of the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher, in their systematic cataloging of industrial structures. But Atget brings an added layer of poetry, capturing not just the object, but the atmosphere and the passage of time. It’s like he's not just documenting a sculpture, but also its story.