Elfenbankjes c. 1900 - 1930

Richard Tepe made this photograph, Elfenbankjes, in the late 19th or early 20th century. It's a snapshot of shelf mushrooms clinging to a tree stump. I can imagine Tepe, alone in the forest, lugging his equipment, setting up the shot, and waiting for the light to be just right. I wonder if he felt a connection to these strange, otherworldly forms—these so-called 'elf benches'? Perhaps he saw them as tiny stages for forest dramas, or maybe he was simply drawn to their sculptural quality, the way they rhythmically stacked on top of one another. Look at the tones, ranging from light greys to deep browns. It reminds me of the subtle tonal shifts you see in the work of artists like Gerhard Richter. Tepe's photograph invites us to slow down, observe closely, and appreciate the unexpected beauty that can be found in the most overlooked corners of the natural world. Just like a painter, he coaxes something meaningful from the ordinary.