Stad (vermoedelijk) in het Midden-Oosten, gezien vanuit de lucht c. 1930 - 1940

This is an anonymous photograph of a city, probably in the Middle East, and it was taken from the air. It's really interesting how, even without knowing who made it, we can still get a sense of the artist's perspective through the marks they choose to make, or in this case, the view they chose to capture. What strikes me most is the texture – or lack thereof. Everything is flattened, rendered in shades of gray. It's like the artist is trying to strip away the specifics and show us something more essential about urban spaces. The light is so even, as if the sun is shining without shadows. It reminds me of certain abstract paintings where the artist layers and blurs forms to create a sense of depth and mystery. Look at the way the buildings huddle together, a mass of low-lying structures pierced by the occasional dome or minaret. It makes you wonder about the lives lived within those walls. Maybe this photograph is meant to remind us that art, like cities, is a collective endeavor, built layer upon layer. It also makes me think of Gerhard Richter's blurry photographs - history becomes a haze!