Untitled 1980

Ursula Schulz-Dornburg made this photograph, we don't know when, and with what, but its contrasts are so delicate it feels as though it was made with a gentle hand. The subdued palette invites us to focus on the tonal subtleties that emerge from the play of light on water and the dark, veiled figures wading through. There is so much implied texture and depth here, from the thick reeds to the rippled water surface. The tonal range, from the palest greys to the solid black of the figures, suggests a range of emotional and conceptual possibilities. The dark figures contrast with the light, almost bleached sky. They could be crossing over into another world. It makes you wonder what is on the other side. Schulz-Dornburg's repeated focus on remote places reminds me a little of some of the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher. But unlike the Becher's typological approach, Schulz-Dornburg's work seems much more about absence, memory and the passage of time. It leaves us with an overwhelming sense of ambiguity.