Versailles, Vase par Cornu 1902

This gelatin silver print, *Versailles, Vase par Cornu*, was made by Eugène Atget sometime in the early 20th century. Just look at the way the vase sits in the foreground, so close you can almost touch it, while the garden stretches out behind, fading into the distance. It’s like Atget is inviting us into a secret world, a world of hidden beauty and forgotten stories. I love the texture of this print. You can almost feel the smooth surface of the vase, the rough bark of the trees, the soft grass underfoot. The light is so gentle, so diffused, it gives everything a kind of dreamlike quality. Notice how Atget uses light and shadow to create a sense of depth and dimension, how he leads our eye through the garden, deeper and deeper into the unknown. The figures on the vase feel classical but oddly frozen. I’m reminded of the work of the painter, Corot, who was also drawn to the beauty of the natural world, and who also had a knack for capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere. Like Corot, Atget sees the world as a place of constant change and transformation, a place where nothing ever stays the same for long. Isn’t that what makes art so exciting?