Gezicht op Slot Haamstede 1890 - 1920

This photograph, Gezicht op Slot Haamstede, was made by an anonymous artist probably with some kind of camera. The artist has approached the subject with a real tenderness, look at how the light caresses the walls of the building. The photograph is presented in shades of sepia, which adds to the feeling of antiquity and nostalgia. It's like a memory fading gently into the past. There's a sense of calm, but also a hint of melancholy. The trees, bare and spindly, frame the scene, adding a touch of drama. You can almost feel the chill of a winter day in the air. I think of Atget's images of Paris, in the way this artist has used the city as a stage for something personal, an exchange of ideas across time. Art is so exciting, because it is like this, one big conversation with the past.