Reliëf van de Borobudur (Boroboedoer), nabij Magelang, Nederlands-Indië c. 1895 - 1915

This is a photograph of a bas-relief from Borobudur, near Magelang in what was then called the Dutch East Indies, and it was taken by Onnes Kurkdjian. What strikes me is how Kurkdjian composes the shot. He emphasizes the relief's horizontal bands and dense accumulation of carved figures. This isn’t about empty space; it's about fullness, about carving into the stone until it becomes this textured tapestry. See how the light catches the edges of each figure, defining its shape but also blending it into the overall pattern. The photograph captures a certain moment in time, but it also connects us to the original makers of the relief. You can almost feel the weight of the stone and the patient hands that shaped it. The deep undercuts create bold contrasts, and a sense of depth, and you can feel the artist pushing the medium to its limits. This makes me think of Hokusai's prints, each form carved and considered but contributing to a whole. Art is all about the ongoing conversation between the image and the hand, across time.