Gezicht op Kasteel Doorwerth 1890 - 1920

This photograph, “Gezicht op Kasteel Doorwerth”, was made by an anonymous photographer. It's a landscape of a castle, which the artist reduces to a few simple colours, mostly brown and grey. They are not used to describe the castle as it is, but rather as an image, a play of shades. The building occupies most of the shot, and there is a blurry reflection of the castle on the lake surrounding it. The focus of the photograph seems to be on the texture of the castle’s walls and roof, which is interesting as they are mostly plain surfaces, but there are some darker stains in between the windows. If you look at the top of the castle, the roofs seem quite expressive, they almost look like they are melting. This piece reminds me of a painting by Gerhard Richter, who also worked with blurry, photographic imagery, embracing ambiguity. Ultimately, I think that photography, like painting, is a constant conversation across time, echoing and transforming ideas.