Gezicht op een smalle straat before 1901

Frédéric Boissonnas created this image of a narrow street with photography. At first glance, the composition pulls the viewer's eye to a distant church tower, achieved through the converging lines of the buildings that frame a narrow street. The monochrome palette is a key element, reducing the scene to its barest forms of light and shadow. What is presented isn’t a mere recording, but a constructed reality. Boissonnas uses photography to not just capture the street, but also to explore the aesthetic potential of lines, shapes, and contrasts. The buildings on either side act as visual parentheses, squeezing the space and intensifying the perspective. In semiotic terms, this use of perspective can be seen as a signifier of depth, inviting the viewer into a space that is both real and constructed. The artist challenges our perception by suggesting that reality is not a fixed entity but a fluid, constructed experience, an ongoing process of interpretation.