Versailles, Vase 1905

This photograph of a vase at Versailles was captured by Eugène Atget, using a gelatin silver printing-out process. Atget’s photographs feel like he's making a record, documenting the world as it is. The tonal range is so limited, almost like a drawing, it's not as concerned with being super accurate, which is kind of funny. The vase itself, overflowing with spiky plants, is the focus, but the background is still visible, creating a shallow depth of field. Look at the way the light interacts with the sculpted details of the vase, how it casts shadows and highlights the grapes and faces. This photograph, with its focus on classical forms and garden ornaments, reminds me of the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher, who also documented architectural and industrial structures in a straightforward, almost detached manner. It embraces ambiguity and invites multiple interpretations rather than offering fixed meanings.