Gezicht op de Grote of Sint-Stephanuskerk te Hasselt 1904

This hazy photograph shows a street in Hasselt with the Sint-Stephanuskerk at the far end. It’s a muted palette of browns, sepias, and creams. I love imagining what it was like for the photographer who made this artwork, maybe they were trying to capture the essence of the church as a focal point in the community, or maybe they were trying to capture the feeling of a quiet day in the city. I can imagine them adjusting the focus to just the right spot. Or maybe they struggled with getting the exposure just right in the time. The people walking up and down the street are blurred because they had to stand still for so long. In a way, every work of art is a conversation with all the art that came before it. I’m sure whoever made this photograph loved and was inspired by a number of other photographers and artists. The conversations between artists throughout time is, perhaps, one of the greatest accomplishments of being an artist!