Gezicht op de Tower Bridge in Londen before 1901

Johan Huijsser made this print of the Tower Bridge in London, sometime between 1868 and 1924. It’s not just a document, it's a mood, a feeling, an arrangement of tones that make you want to linger in front of it. The beauty in this piece really lies in the softness, the way Huijsser teases out the bridge's form from the misty atmosphere. You almost don’t know where the bridge ends and the sky begins! And this is because he emphasizes the process, the act of seeing and interpreting, not just recording reality, if there even is such a thing. Look how the light seems to glow from within the image. And note how the solid forms of the bridge dissolve into hazy abstraction, creating this incredible sense of depth and distance. It reminds me a bit of Whistler's Nocturnes, where he uses tone and atmosphere to evoke a sense of dreamlike reverie. Ultimately, this work is an invitation to slow down, to breathe in the atmosphere, and to appreciate the beauty of a city shrouded in mystery.