Weg en rivier in een kloof van de Gorges du Cians in de Alpes-Maritimes 1903

Editor: Here we have "Weg en rivier in een kloof van de Gorges du Cians in de Alpes-Maritimes," a 1903 photograph from the Rijksmuseum. Looking at it, I immediately feel this immense, almost humbling sense of nature's scale. What's your take? Curator: Well, I'm transported! It reminds me of when I drove through the Rockies, utterly dwarfed by these ancient stone giants. Here, Delizy captures not just a landscape but a palpable sense of geologic time. Notice how the road and the river, human elements, are relegated to these thin strips at the bottom of the frame. Editor: So, a bit of a statement on humanity’s place, or lack thereof, in the grand scheme? Curator: Exactly! And think about photography itself. What could feel more real, yet the photographer’s vision is always filtered, selecting and shaping the very thing that claims to be "objective". Do you get the sense he's framing the road and river not so much for the beauty but more like remnants after a big earthquake. Editor: I do now, especially thinking about how our experience of that space is still mediated. Looking at it, I initially assumed there was only photography; is there manipulation with paint on the image too? Curator: Hmmm, now that you point that out it is indeed something I didn't note initially but seems right as well. Think also about what has been included, and more importantly, omitted from our vision! What do you think the photographer wanted us to experience with those choices? Editor: I guess I hadn't considered it that way. It seems I was very eager to apply my prior assumptions when trying to approach it as objective! Curator: Beautifully put! Art – even documentary art – always sneaks a little subjectivity in, doesn't it? Editor: It certainly does. Thanks; I see the piece in a completely different light now. Curator: My pleasure! A reminder that engaging with art is less about answers and more about cultivating richer questions.