Portret van een vrouw staand bij een stoel c. 1912 - 1914

This 'Portrait of a Woman Standing by a Chair' was made by American Automatic Photography. The sepia tones give it this feeling of a bygone era, a world where getting your picture taken was a whole event! I imagine this woman, maybe a little nervous, striking a pose. Her hand rests on the back of the chair, not quite holding on, but just grazing, as if afraid to disturb the moment. And what about the photographer? They were one of many that were working in this very new medium, photography. Photography was an instant artform, a moment captured as is, that opened up so many doors to other artists, even painters! It allowed for a kind of representation of the world that wasn't yet available. It reminds me that art isn’t just about paint or clay, it’s about seeing and feeling and freezing a moment in time. We’re all in conversation with each other. The automatism of the machine— the machine made it possible.