Rubberbomen op Kanopan Oeloe, 1931-1933 1931 - 1933

These photographs of Rubberbomen op Kanopan Oeloe were taken sometime between 1931 and 1933 by an anonymous artist, using what looks like a black and white camera. These images, presented as pages in a photo album, give a serial approach to a landscape. Look how these rubber trees repeat across each frame. It reminds me of Sol Lewitt’s serial conceptualism. But here we are not talking about the clean lines of conceptualism. These are imperfect, analogue images, full of the strange light and dark effects of photography. Consider the contrast between the sharply lit trees and the deep shadows that suggest an enveloping darkness. It is in these shadowy depths, where detail is lost, that we find something that speaks to the hidden aspects of landscape and the unknown elements that can exist within it. That, to me, is where the real power and mystery lies. It’s like something by Eugène Atget, capturing a fleeting atmosphere. It is this imperfect capturing that I find compelling.