Koffieplukster op ladder op plantage te Sumatra before 1898

Carl J. Kleingrothe created this artwork, "Koffieplukster op ladder op plantage te Sumatra" – or "Coffee Picker on a Ladder on a Plantation in Sumatra" – in an unknown year with an unknown medium. The photograph presents us with a structured, almost geometric, composition. The ordered rows of coffee plants create a linear perspective, leading our eyes into the distance. This ordered space is disrupted by the figure of the coffee picker, positioned centrally on a ladder. The ladder itself forms a series of strong diagonal lines, contrasting with the horizontal plantation rows. Considering structuralist interpretations, the photograph functions as a sign. The woman, ladder, and plantation are signifiers, which together connote ideas of labor, colonial economics, and perhaps even the exoticized view of the East. The geometric structure and the disruption caused by the human element invite questions about power, representation, and the construction of meaning within a colonial context. The artist's choice to capture this scene, framing it within such a rigid structure, highlights the complexities inherent in viewing art as an aesthetic object, and as a reflection of socio-political dynamics.