Klooster Saint-Trophime in Arles 1903

This albumen print by Delizy, in the Rijksmuseum, captures the Klooster Saint-Trophime in Arles. The muted sepia tones speak to an era of photographic exploration. The light caresses the stone walls and arches, creating a soft texture that almost feels like you could reach out and touch it. The arches march along, a rhythmic sequence of dark and light that divides the space, pulling your eye into the cloistered courtyard. Look at how the shadows play, not just defining shapes, but almost as physical entities themselves. I think of artists like Giorgio Morandi, who found endless inspiration in the simplest of forms. Delizy does something similar here, revealing the beauty in the architecture’s quiet repetition, and reminding us that seeing is as much about feeling as it is about looking. It’s a visual poem, a hushed meditation on light, space, and time.