Gezicht op de Hervormde Kerk te 's Gravenmoer 1890 - 1920

Here’s this photo, made sometime back in the day, of the Reformed Church in 's Gravenmoer. The photographer remains unknown, but I wonder what they would think of us, all these years later, looking back at their work. It’s like a study in sepia tones; everything sort of blends together, doesn't it? Look at how the light hits the side of the church, and the way the edges of the building seem to soften into the sky. The whole thing feels very… hazy. But there's detail, too. See the brickwork and roof tiles? This kind of detail reminds me that someone, or a group of people, really took their time to create this image and that is quite powerful. It has something of the tonal quality of Gerhard Richter's landscapes. But where Richter deliberately blurs and obscures his images, this photo seems more like a found object, discovered from the past. It is this sense of distance, both temporal and physical, that makes it so evocative.