Schaduwen van bomen in een bos before 1905

Here we see Alvin Langdon Coburn's photographic print of tree shadows in a forest. It’s an intimate study in monochrome, which lets us focus on the interplay between light and dark. The shadows are really the main event here, they stretch out across the ground like dark fingers, contrasting with the brighter areas. Look at how the texture of the ground almost dissolves into abstract shapes, it’s this wonderful balance between detail and abstraction. The high contrast throws into question the way we see, it’s a reminder that what we perceive is always a construction, an interpretation of the information our eyes receive. Like in the work of Edward Steichen, there's an ongoing conversation about the nature of photography and its ability to capture not just what is seen, but how it is felt. It embraces ambiguity, prompting questions rather than providing answers.