Snijden en oogsten van padie in een groot veld 1913 - 1923

This photograph by Atelier Kurkdjian shows a field of workers, bending and cutting. The sepia tones feel historical, like an old memory. I imagine the photographer, setting up their equipment in the heat, trying to capture this moment. What were they thinking? Were they aware of the colonial gaze, or were they simply documenting a scene? The composition is interesting, the way the workers are dotted across the field. It reminds me of some of Van Gogh's paintings of laborers, but with a different kind of light. The texture of the grass is almost palpable. I can feel the humidity in the air, the weight of the task. It makes me think about labor, about the unseen hands that bring food to our tables. It’s fascinating how a simple image can evoke so much. Ultimately, art is about connection—a conversation across time and space, and it’s amazing that artists are in dialogue with one another through their chosen medium.