Natuurgezicht van een vakantie van de familie Wachenheimer, augustus 1932, Eibsee (Beieren) 1932 - 1938

This photograph called, Natuurgezicht van een vakantie van de familie Wachenheimer, augustus 1932, Eibsee (Beieren), was taken by the Wachenheimer family during their vacation. The image is of a landscape and seems to be about that precise moment in time, on holiday, making a record. It’s about place, a literal description of a day out. Note the texture, though, or lack of it. You don’t get a sense of surface. It’s a smooth depiction that wants to capture the scene. The palette is of course tonal, shades of grey capture the reflections on the water, the depth of the forest, the light on the swans. The photograph is mounted on a card within a photo album, and you can see where the corners have been tucked behind these little flaps. Look how the photograph has aged and become discolored. Now we are getting a sense of process, of time passing. In a way, it reminds me of Baldessari’s photographic works. Both are using photography to question the nature of art and representation.