Dzwonnica u S. Jerzego (The Belltower of Saint George [Church]) 1916

Jan Bułhak made this photograph, "The Belltower of Saint George Church," using gelatin silver, sometime between 1900 and 1949. There's something deeply satisfying about the interplay of light and shadow, the subtle gradations that render this scene almost dreamlike. I imagine Bułhak, carefully composing the shot, waiting for the perfect moment when the light would reveal the texture of the bell tower and the surrounding foliage. It’s like he was thinking about the passing of time, the way light can transform a scene from one moment to the next. Look at how the stark contrast defines the architectural forms, lending them a kind of solidity and permanence. And then, there are the softer, more diffuse areas, where the light seems to dissolve the edges of things. Bułhak was deeply influenced by Pictorialism, which privileged atmosphere and emotion over sharp detail. And like those painters, he transforms a simple scene into something profound.