Gezicht op de Tschengelser Hochwand before 1903

This photograph, ‘Gezicht op de Tschengelser Hochwand’ by V. Wimmer, captures a landscape in tones of grey. It’s interesting how, even without color, we can sense the depth and texture of the scene. Think of it as a study in light and shadow, each shade carefully placed. In this image, the mountains in the background are starkly contrasted against the road in the foreground. Look at the small figure on the road. The dark figure almost disappears into the landscape. It gives us a focal point, and enhances the sense of space and scale. The artist used the tools of photography to record what was there, but also to make something new. The way Wimmer has framed the scene reminds me of some of the early landscape painters, like Caspar David Friedrich, where nature is this overwhelming, almost spiritual force. It's a reminder that art, in any form, is always in conversation with what came before. It invites us to see the world in a slightly different way.