Schoorsteenboezem van Nieuwe Rijn 10 te Leiden 1911

This anonymous photograph captures a chimney breast at Nieuwe Rijn 10 in Leiden, and it’s fascinating how the monochrome palette brings out the textures. Look at the raised floral details in the panel, they are so tactile. The composition’s all about layering. There's the panel itself, framed within the architecture of the room. Then there's the surface of the photograph, with its own subtle grain, all these layers create a sense of depth that draws you in. The light catches the edges of the floral reliefs, softening their forms. The wallpaper is patterned, it’s such a subtle contrast to the flat plane of the panel. It makes you think about how we construct space, how we define interiority. It reminds me of the work of Agnes Martin, in the way she uses subtle variations in tone to create a sense of quiet contemplation. Art’s always a conversation, right? It’s about looking, thinking, and feeling. It’s about embracing the ambiguity, the not-knowing.