Gezicht op het Singel, in de verte de Munttoren 1904

Here is a photo of a canal scene, made by James Higson sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century, and rendered in soft browns and creams. I'm thinking about the scene and the artist: all those boats, all those buildings, all that light reflected on the water. It's a lot to take in, but Higson has a great feel for the weight of things, and for light and shadow. I like the framing - how the boats in the foreground guide your eye along the canal and into the distance. You know, I like to think about other artists when I'm painting, and I wonder if Higson was thinking about the Dutch Masters when he took this photo? They all seem to be in conversation with one another across time. It's like they are all responding to a shared question. And that is: how do we make sense of the world around us? How can we capture it with whatever tools we have to hand?