Gezicht op de vuurtorens van Hourtin before 1883

This photograph, titled "Gezicht op de vuurtorens van Hourtin," presents two lighthouses framed against a dense forest and an expansive sky, a composition of contrasting elements, light and shadow, the built and the natural environment. The artist’s placement of the lighthouses creates a visual dialogue between the structures and their surroundings. There is a structural tension here, in which the towers are fixed in place by vertical lines that meet the horizontal lines of the horizon. This contrast engages with post-structuralist ideas about how structures are never fully stable. The monochromatic palette further accentuates the textures and forms, inviting us to consider the semiotics of light and darkness. Do the lighthouses signify hope or guidance or perhaps highlight the instability of meaning? The artist uses form to engage with ideas that challenge fixed meanings. Ultimately, this photograph functions as more than just a landscape; it is an invitation to question our perceptions and the constructed nature of the world we inhabit.