Zandduinen before 1898

Curator: So, here we have a spread from a book; on the right is a photographic print titled "Zandduinen," or "Sand Dunes," attributed to L. Schwere, created before 1898. Isn't it amazing how these old photographs feel like discovering hidden worlds? Editor: It's interesting how landscape photographs were distributed and perceived at this time; though landscape paintings had always enjoyed acclaim, photography democratized and made scientific images of our world accessible for the broader public to admire and analyze. What is your impression of these landscapes? Curator: Well, let's be frank, most people saw these as topographical surveys more than art. But I’d like you to consider what L. Schwere is exploring. We’re looking at dunes, stark forms captured with sharp tonal range. Do you get a sense that there is more than factual information here? The composition evokes feelings of emptiness, wonder… Even longing? Editor: I get the feeling that it depicts a search. Both the landscapes that you have pointed out feel very imposing in size and stark. Yet the image on the first page features what may be a ship or a sail in the distance. Maybe, it's yearning. Curator: Precisely! See how it invites us to pause and feel the space? I am deeply touched by the contrast between hard science and our individual sense of loneliness in an increasingly large world. What could we possibly do to describe this photograph, except through our feelings? Editor: Right! I was definitely viewing it only through the lens of landscape paintings and surveys of land at first, but there are lots of emotions evoked when you point out how small objects are compared to nature, or even simply what a photograph offers as a tactile experience for an audience member to discover it on their own. Curator: It's the secret sauce of art, isn't it? Finding the extraordinary in what others overlook.