Doorsnijding van den Veerpolder nabij Malburgen Possibly 1906 - 1927

This photogravure, "Doorsnijding van den Veerpolder nabij Malburgen" by Arnaud Pistoor & Zoon, shows a landscape cut through by a river, and something about the light makes me think of process. The photogravure process itself – layering ink to build up the image – is akin to painting. Look at the sky. Notice how the gradations of tone and soft blurs mirror the way clouds actually feel to the eye. The light itself has weight, creating a scene imbued with melancholic grandeur. The tones, almost monochromatic, create a feeling of time suspended. It reminds me of the landscapes of Gustave Le Gray, who also used photography to capture the ethereal beauty of the natural world. In both artists, the surface is the meaning, it's the emotional weight of the piece. Perhaps art is an attempt to make sense of the world, or perhaps it is simply about seeing it anew.