Berggezicht op de gunung Kawi vanuit de dicht beboste vallei van Malang c. 1900 - 1935

This is a stereoscopic image by Neville Keasberry, a landscape showing Gunung Kawi mountain from the valley of Malang. The dark tones and soft gradations remind me of charcoal drawings, that smudgy, blurry quality. It’s all about the give and take between light and shadow, the way forms emerge from the darkness, then retreat back into it. I'm drawn to the way Keasberry uses a limited tonal range to create depth and atmosphere. The dense foliage and the misty peaks in the background feel so far away. Look closely at the terraced fields in the foreground. Those lines are not just capturing the lay of the land, they also structure the entire composition. They lead your eye into the scene, but also anchor you in the present. This play with perspective and depth reminds me of some of the Hudson River School painters, like Church or Bierstadt. It’s about trying to capture a sense of the sublime, you know, that feeling of awe and wonder in the face of nature’s vastness. Of course, Keasberry gives it his own unique spin with his focus on the textures and details of the landscape.