Tombeau Imaginaire 26 2019

Elina Brotherus made this photograph, Tombeau Imaginaire 26, and with its grayscale palette, it reminds me of old photos or maybe a memory. It’s about a figure in a landscape but also about photography’s ability to show us things that are both present and absent. Look how the textures of the clouds, the rock, and the mountains all blend together, fading into the mist. I wonder, is the dress the subject is wearing black, or is it a very dark grey? It’s hard to tell for sure, and that ambiguity feels important. The softness of the image makes me think of a Corot painting. This work speaks to a certain northern sensibility. It’s in conversation with other artists who embrace the melancholic beauty of the everyday. Like a quiet poem, it invites us to contemplate the relationship between ourselves and the world around us.