Bos in Zuid-Afrika 1967 - 1971

Editor: So here we have Willem Jacob van den Berg’s photograph, "Bos in Zuid-Afrika," created sometime between 1967 and 1971, a gelatin-silver print. The landscape, the shadows... it feels so still and timeless, yet slightly ominous to me. What do you see in this piece, beyond just a picture of a forest? Curator: Ominous, yes, I like that. It speaks to the silence inherent in so much of the natural world, doesn't it? This feels more like an exploration of space than a documentation of a location, wouldn't you agree? The interplay of light and shadow carves out the forest rather than simply illuminating it. It reminds me of some abstract expressionist works… that feeling of vastness pressing down. What do you think Van den Berg wanted us to consider by capturing this specific moment? Editor: Hmm, perhaps he wanted to contrast the density of the foreground with the emptiness behind? Or maybe just capture the raw essence of nature without romanticizing it? It doesn't have the prettiness of a postcard, does it? Curator: Precisely! He strips away sentimentality. There’s almost a geometric quality to how the shadows slash across the scene. Did you notice how your eye keeps being drawn back into the darkness beyond the foliage? Editor: Now that you mention it, yes. The way the depth of field guides the viewer… it's deceptively simple. It seemed like a straightforward landscape photograph, but there is so much more. I wouldn't have noticed those visual aspects otherwise! Curator: And isn't that what makes art so thrilling? Discovering those unexpected layers within a seemingly simple image? Editor: Definitely! Thanks for revealing that!