Twee foto's van een tuin en moestuin in Wanasari 1909

Here we have two photographs of a garden and kitchen garden in Wanasari, taken in 1909 by Carolina (Loentje) Frederika Onnen. What strikes me first is the album page itself. It is a kind of collage, a process that feels very contemporary. The photos, mounted on thick card, feel like they are bursting with texture and detail. The subdued tones and soft focus give it an ethereal feel. In the upper photograph, there is a strong contrast between the stark, simple building and the organic, natural landscape. There is a tension between man-made and natural. Looking at the image as a whole, I'm reminded of some of the compositional ideas in the work of artists like Agnes Martin, or even Gerhard Richter. The page acts as an anchor that relates the two images to one another and creates a dialogue between them. Art, like gardening itself, is all about tending and arranging.