Boslandschap, mogelijk in Zuid-Afrika 1967 - 1971

Willem Jacob van den Berg made this photograph of a landscape, possibly in South Africa, we don't know exactly when. The subdued color palette speaks to me of early color photography, a technology still finding its feet. I wonder, what did van den Berg think as he looked through the lens? The composition is divided by horizontal bands of light, drawing attention to the formal qualities of the image: the light and the shadows. There’s a stillness to the scene; everything appears to be suspended in time. The trees reach towards the sky. It's not so much about making a realistic picture of a place, but more about capturing a mood. Photography is an embodied expression, just like painting, embracing ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple readings. And, like painting, artists are in conversation across time, inspiring one another's creativity.