Ruiterspel met grote bal, Medan Sumatra c. 1900 - 1905

Heinrich Ernst & Co made this photograph of a game on horseback in Medan, Sumatra using a camera. Look how the pale light falls evenly across the whole picture, softening the edges. The tones are almost monochromatic, giving the whole scene a feeling of distance. But then you notice the figures. They’re grouped in the centre, like a little drama playing out. The horses are still, but you can imagine them galloping. And that huge ball, what’s the story there? The surface has a soft texture, like old paper. It makes me think about how much history is held in photographs like this, fragments of lives we’ll never know. It reminds me a little of Gerhard Richter’s blurred photos, in the way it creates a sense of looking back, trying to grasp something that’s just out of reach. Art is all about embracing these blurry edges, isn't it? The questions are often more interesting than the answers.