Tak van een sierkers c. 1900 - 1930

Richard Tepe made this print of a cherry blossom branch sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. It’s all about soft tonalities. You can see how the artist coaxed the light to describe the petals and leaves. The process here, the printing, creates its own language. The sepia tones give it such warmth. The image isn't crisp or sharp; instead it’s slightly blurred, like a half-remembered dream. Look how the blossoms, in their delicate way, are almost overflowing, pushing against the constraints of the rectangular format. There’s something about the way the light catches the edge of one particular flower, just above the stem, that makes it glow. It's like Tepe is whispering, "Look closely, see the beauty in the fleeting moment." It reminds me a little bit of Karl Blossfeldt’s botanical studies, but softer, more romantic. Art, you know, it's just one long conversation. No one really has the last word.