Gezicht op een loopgraaf in Tall al Kabir before 1885

This photogravure print shows a trench in Tall al Kabir, and the image is striking for its material simplicity. Here, light-sensitive chemistry meets the brute force of war. The subject, a hastily dug trench, is an act of crude removal, the antithesis of constructive craftsmanship. Yet, it is meticulously recorded through photogravure, a process involving laborious preparation and exacting execution. The tonal gradations of the image emphasize the rough texture of the excavated earth. The printmaking process, demanding skill and precision, contrasts sharply with the scene's haphazard, urgent construction. The image captures a moment of conflict, while the photogravure process preserves it with an almost perverse beauty. By engaging with materials and processes far removed from the battlefield, the anonymous artist elevates a scene of stark labor and destruction into a carefully wrought object of contemplation. It underscores how making, in any form, can reframe our understanding of history and conflict.