Gezicht op de Hervormde Kerk te Dongen 1910

This photograph, Gezicht op de Hervormde Kerk te Dongen, was captured anonymously with a camera, a lens, and some light. The palette is so pared back, almost monochromatic. The values are closely packed and soft, like a Morandi painting, or one of those Gerhard Richter squeegee paintings. In the foreground, the shrubs and trees are soft and dense, blurring into the brickwork of the church, so that we almost feel that the building is growing out of the earth, like a natural form. The image has a stillness to it, and I wonder about the viewpoint of the photographer. Were they trying to capture something specific, or just to observe the relationships between architecture and nature? This photograph, with its close tones and almost dreamy quality, puts me in mind of some of the early landscapes of the impressionist Camille Pissarro, with their interest in everyday scenes. Ultimately, the photo has a quietness that invites contemplation, and reminds us that art is a dialogue between the seen and the unseen.