Gezicht op Bablock Hythe en de Fyfield elm before 1912

Henry Taunt made this photograph of Bablock Hythe and the Fyfield elm sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. I like to imagine him lugging his camera gear through the English countryside, looking for just the right angle. What caught his eye about this particular tree and that stretch of river? Maybe it was the way the light filtered through the branches, or the way the water mirrored the sky. I wonder if he knew how many others had stood in that same spot, captivated by the same view? It's like artists are always in conversation across time and space, drawn to similar things, seeing the world in their own way. Anyway, this photograph has a delicate quality, doesn't it? It reminds me that all art is an exploration of the seen, even if it’s expressed through a lens rather than a brush.