Gezicht op zeilboten op het water before 1902

This photograph of sailboats on the water was made by A. Michelis. It’s quite small, and the palette is restrained: grayscale, a few shades. Right away I like the emphasis on process, like I’m seeing a moment unfold. The photo’s surface is smooth, but the image itself is full of texture: the dark sails against the shimmering water. I want to linger on the way the light catches the crest of the waves, turning them into fleeting jewels. This contrast between light and dark, solid and ephemeral, gives the photo its emotional pull. It reminds me of a Cy Twombly painting, where the scribbled lines and smudges capture a similar sense of movement and impermanence. Art, like water, is always in flux, reflecting and refracting our perceptions. It can shift with the tide, resist definition, and embrace multiple interpretations.