Versailles, Vase par Ballin 1905

This photograph by Eugène Atget captures a vase by Ballin in Versailles, France. Imagine Atget, setting up his camera, probably a large format one, lugging it around the gardens. You can sense his curiosity about form, about the interplay of light and shadow on the vase's sculpted surface. The tone is soft, sepia, like a memory. Look at the way the light catches the curves of the vase, highlighting the texture and the intricate details of the carving. It's almost as if Atget is trying to capture the essence of the sculpture, its weight, its presence in the landscape. This image feels related to other photographs Atget made documenting architecture and gardens around Paris. It makes me think about how one artist responds to another through time, and how the act of photographing is a way of seeing.