Rivier met boot, Suriname 1905 - 1910

Jacob Evert Wesenhagen captured this boat on a Surinamese river sometime in his lifetime with a camera and photographic paper. The image plays with light and shadow, not just in the contrast between river and jungle but in the way the foliage in the foreground is cast in almost complete darkness. It's a reminder that seeing isn't just about what's visible, but also about what's hidden, what's implied. The detail in the leaves on the left, gives the impression of depth. It’s not just a flat image, it's like a little world you could step into. Wesenhagen’s photograph sits in the tradition of landscape photography but it makes me think about contemporary photography. The picture embraces ambiguity, suggesting that art is an ongoing conversation across time.