Gezicht op Westminster Abbey en Houses of Parliament in Londen 1882 - 1930

This is a view of Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament in London by Francis Godolphin Osbourne Stuart. It makes me think about the daguerreotypes by artists like William Henry Fox Talbot, and the way they were trying to grab at the light and make it stick. It's like trying to hold onto a moment that's already slipping away. I think about the artist out there in the cold, getting the perspective just right, coaxing the chemicals to do what they want them to do. What was he thinking about as he waited for the image to appear? Maybe he was thinking about progress, about the coal barges and steamboats, and what that meant for the future of London. You know, artists are always in conversation with each other, across time and space. Stuart’s photography shares something with Canaletto’s paintings of the Thames, but also with Bernd and Hilla Becher's industrial landscapes. It’s all about seeing and feeling the pulse of the world, and trying to capture it in a way that makes sense.