Tempel van de Olympische Zeus in Athene before 1910

Frédéric Boissonnas made this photograph of the Temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens using a black-and-white process which really brings out the monumentality of these ancient columns. I’m always struck by how photographs like this seem to compress time, the columns appear solid and weighty but there's also an ephemeral quality to the light, like you’re catching something that's about to disappear. Look at the way the light etches into the fluted columns, it's almost sculptural in itself, bringing a tactile sense to the ruins. The surface feels almost velvety, a testament to the artist's technique. Boissonnas captures the weight of history, the image is less about documenting the ruins and more about evoking a feeling, a sense of standing in the presence of something ancient. It makes me think of the stark contrasts in the photography of someone like Karl Blossfeldt, a shared interest in revealing the hidden structures of things. But in the end, the photograph is more about questions than answers, it’s an invitation to imagine what has been lost, and to reflect on the passage of time.