Istanbul met twee oevers van de rivier de Bosporus en schepen op de rivier 1909 - 1918

This small, anonymous photograph shows Istanbul with the Bosphorus river running between two sides of the city. I think of the photographer, setting up their camera, probably a large, bulky thing. It must have been a physical struggle to get it up there, wherever they were, to get this vista. I wonder what they thought, looking through the lens? Did they see a timeless scene or something on the brink of change? There's a tonal range in the image from a deep, grainy dark in the foreground to a soft, hazy light in the distance. Those ships look serious; they loom large in the frame, dominating the scene. But beyond them, the city stretches out like a dream. It’s funny how one person’s documentation becomes another person’s art. I wonder if they knew that their image would be here now, still inspiring thoughts and feelings? I love the mystery of the anonymous creator. It reminds me that art is a conversation across time, a collective effort of seeing and feeling.