Kasteel van Wijchen before 1906

This image, Kasteel van Wijchen, was created by an anonymous artist with photography. It shows the Wijchen Castle. I wonder what it was like for the artist to make this work. Were they using new equipment, working in the sun, or hiding in the bushes? The whole image seems to be washed in a sepia light which gives a wonderful sense of the past. The building itself has such straight lines that imply a rigidity and strength of purpose. It would have taken patience to produce the photograph. I can imagine the artist trying to find the perfect vantage point to capture the building with its elaborate tower and long windows. It reminds me of some of the great landscape painters. Making this photograph would have required a sensitivity and imagination. But that’s what art is, after all, an ongoing conversation.