Archeologische opgravingen in Hongarije 1928

Jan Lanting made this black and white image of an archeological dig site in Hungary, though I’m not sure exactly when. It’s interesting to think about how Lanting made this. I imagine that the act of making must have felt like digging, too, trying to uncover a place that is both there, right in front of you, yet also somewhere else, buried and distant. The tonal range, somewhere between brown and grey, almost feels like it's the very stuff of earth. It makes me think of Kurt Schwitters, and his Merzbau. The way Schwitters combined painting and sculpture to create immersive spaces. Like Schwitters, Lanting seems to be interested in the interplay between surfaces and depths, inviting us to excavate the layers of time and history.