Interieur van de Sint-Gertrudiskerk te Maarheeze 1911

This photograph of the Sint-Gertrudiskerk was made sometime in the past by an anonymous photographer. It’s mostly light and dark browns and tans. A monochromatic palette, and the perspective is very linear. I find myself wondering, what does it mean to record a building as an artwork? The lens is like a big, dumb eye, just soaking up everything. You see these rows and rows of pews, these statues of saints, this is about how a space makes you feel. I’m particularly drawn to the high vaulted ceiling, and the light spilling in from the windows. It feels infinite, as if the space could go on forever. The image offers a stillness and calm. The perspective and use of light makes me think of the work of the minimalist painter, Agnes Martin, though of course, they are very different, the sensibility of both speaks to the sacred in the everyday.