Gezicht op een dorp before 1902

This is a photograph, Gezicht op een dorp, by Th. u. O. Hofmeister. What strikes me about this photograph is its tonal range. It’s black and white, but the artist coaxes so many variations in value out of a restricted palette. The view is composed of soft gradients and diffused light, giving a real sense of depth and atmosphere. It's a seemingly straightforward image, but what I love is the way the artist teases out the textures. Look closely at the way the sky hangs heavy over the houses, the tonal range pushes the image towards abstraction and a kind of dreamlike quality. It reminds me a little of Gerhard Richter's landscapes in the way it uses the photographic image as a starting point for something much more ambiguous. Art is always a conversation, right? Each artist responding to, and building on, what came before.