Strand bij Mount Lavinia (Colombo) met palmen, kind en wrakhout c. 1900 - 1920

This silver gelatin print of a beach at Mount Lavinia, Colombo, with palms, a child, and driftwood was made by A.W.A. Plâté & Co. Look how the dark fronds of the palm trees at the top of the frame contrast with the delicate figure of the child on the beach and the bleached-out sky. The way the light reflects off the wet sand makes the palms seem even darker, casting the whole scene into a sharp relief. The eye is drawn from the rough texture of the driftwood in the foreground, all the way up the gracefully arching palm trunks, until it reaches the feathery tops. This creates a visual journey through different textures and tones, grounding us in the materiality of the beach while simultaneously lifting us towards the airy lightness of the sky. Something about this image reminds me of the work of Hiroshi Sugimoto, especially his seascapes. Like Sugimoto, Plâté transforms the ordinary into something almost ethereal, a meditation on light, shadow, and the passage of time.