Gezicht op Beiroet 1898

Johannes Lodewijk Heldring captured this photograph, "Gezicht op Beiroet," in an unknown year, using a sepia-toned print to convey a scene of Beirut's coastline. The composition is structured along a horizontal axis, dividing the vista into three distinct bands: the sky, the sea, and the land, each rendered with subtle tonal gradations. The photograph's formal arrangement invites us to consider the interplay between nature and civilization. The built environment, nestled along the coast, appears almost as an extension of the natural landscape, suggesting a harmonious, if precarious, balance. However, the sepia tone flattens the image, reducing depth and emphasizing surface. This flattening effect serves to abstract the scene, inviting us to look beyond the representational and to consider the photograph as a constructed image. The photograph becomes an artifact of vision, inviting ongoing dialogue and reflection on representation and reality.