Gezicht op de oude stadsmuur te Valkenburg 1908

This photograph of the old city wall in Valkenburg was taken at the turn of the century by an unknown photographer from Monumentenzorg. The limited palette of grays, blacks, and whites evokes the idea of a process of reduction. An act of distillation, paring down the world to the very essential components. It's fascinating how the texture and surface create an emotional experience. The rough, almost grainy quality of the print gives a tactile feel. The light seems to fall softly. The areas of shadow and light feel very balanced. The composition is built around the wall, a kind of spine holding it all together, with nature and time gradually claiming back the structure. I think of Atget, another artist who captured a particular vision of place in a certain time. But the great thing about art is its ambiguity; it resists one single interpretation.