Rivier in Makuleke, Zuid-Afrika 1968

This photograph, "Rivier in Makuleke, Zuid-Afrika," by Willem Jacob van den Berg captures a river landscape. In both photos, the composition is dominated by a central river snaking into the distance. The perspective draws the eye inward, creating a sense of depth, and the bright sky washes the scene with a cool, even light. The vegetation lining the riverbanks presents a dense arrangement of form, where the tactile, textured surfaces soften the linear form of the river. The cool and earthy tones offer an overall harmony to the composition, establishing a tranquil mood. The structural framework of the scene, with its careful balancing of horizontal and vertical elements, destabilizes any fixed perspective. The river does not exist separate from the landscape but is intimately integrated into the surrounding environment. It merges with the semiotic and cultural codes related to nature, place, and memory. This is not a singular, unchanging image but an invitation to ongoing interpretations and a reminder that a landscape’s meaning is constructed through our engagement with it.