Waterval in het woud 1921 - 1922

Curator: Look at the high contrast of the light, almost meditative effect it casts; our eyes flow right toward the water. Editor: Well, that focus is created through pretty standard darkroom processes, no? This gelatin-silver print from between 1921 and 1922, titled "Waterval in het woud," focuses our vision as you say but mostly through applied technique. Curator: I wouldn't disagree that photographic manipulation contributes here, but look at the figure posed above the falls! Doesn’t this resonate with archetypal imagery of the wise hermit who lives separate from the village? Or perhaps the image suggests a yogi finding serenity in nature. Editor: Perhaps. Or perhaps it is just an emphasis on exoticism through photographic technology. The material conditions made this possible—the colonial subject, brought to Europe through mechanical reproduction for mass consumption. Who do we imagine this figure *is* in the frame of a gelatin print made during the Interwar period? Curator: A person deeply interconnected with the earth—with place! The water falling implies transformation. And I love the tonal range; even without color, the silver brings an amazing luminosity and texture. It's incredibly calming, and there's a quiet dignity to it, don't you think? The realism adds to this emotional clarity. Editor: I will grant it a sort of charm. I can only wonder about labor and production when looking at photography like this. But there is the undeniable fact that the relatively easy manufacture of images like this drove their widespread dissemination and consumption. Curator: Well, it makes one reconsider what one understands about connection. Editor: Perhaps the artifice driving what we might perceive as direct, real connection makes *us* see a constructedness inherent to it? Anyway, I appreciate getting to talk about image production here.