Landschap before 1903

This landscape, or 'Landschap', was made by Hans Watzek, sometime in the late 19th century, using a photographic process. It's a small image, almost postcard-sized, and printed within a book. What strikes me is the tonal range: those soft greys and cloudy whites. It’s like looking at a memory. The composition feels very deliberate, almost classical, with the dark, solid forms in the foreground and then fading into the distance. I notice the way the light catches the top of what looks like a mountain in the background. It feels like a romantic gesture, almost reverential. It’s not just a picture, it's an experience of looking. There's a stillness to this image that reminds me of Caspar David Friedrich, who was painting these kinds of landscapes in the earlier 1800's. Both artists evoke a sense of contemplation, inviting us to wander into the scene. They remind us that art is an ongoing conversation about how we perceive and experience the world around us.