Merel op een paal 1900 - 1930

This photograph of a blackbird on a post was taken by Richard Tepe, sometime between 1864 and 1952. You can tell a lot about a bird from its perch. I'm thinking about the loneliness of this one on its little column. I get the sense it's kind of puffed up, almost like it wants to be noticed, even if it's just sitting there doing nothing. In some ways, the bird is similar to a painter in their studio. Like, both are kind of stuck in one spot, looking out at the world, trying to make sense of things. The bird is probably thinking about where to find its next meal, but maybe it’s also contemplating bigger questions, like why are we here? What’s the meaning of life? You know? I wonder about how this photo relates to Tepe’s other work. Was he interested in capturing quiet moments? Was he an avid bird watcher? Was he interested in the symbolic nature of birds, or were they just there? Who knows?