Man werkend op het land aan de voet van een rokende vulkaan 1912

Onnes Kurkdjian made this photograph of a man working the land at the foot of a smoking volcano sometime between 1870 and 1900. The muted sepia tones and soft focus give it a timeless quality, like a memory half-forgotten. I find myself drawn to the way the light plays across the water in the foreground. It's almost abstract, a series of shimmering highlights that lead your eye into the distance. You can almost feel the humidity in the air, the weight of the atmosphere. The volcano in the background, with its plume of smoke, adds a sense of drama and scale. It's a reminder of the power of nature, both destructive and life-giving. This photograph reminds me of some of the landscape paintings of the Hudson River School, or maybe even some of Caspar David Friedrich's work. There’s a similar sense of awe and reverence for the natural world, but with a more intimate, human scale. It leaves you with more questions than answers.