Landschap bij Cassis 1903

This photograph, Landschap bij Cassis, was made by Delizy and is now kept at the Rijksmuseum. Looking at the image, I imagine Delizy standing at the top of the cliff, squinting in the sun. The landscape is really important. I mean, look at the cliff edge, and the ocean, and the town nestled below the rockface. It’s a dramatic vista, kind of overwhelming, so it needs to be tamed somehow, maybe by being framed. I see how the tonal variations capture the play of light and shadow, giving the scene a kind of romantic feel. Delizy is playing with contrasts, inviting us to feel the immensity of nature but also the smallness of human habitation. I can almost feel the sun on my face, the grit under my feet as I stand on the hill with them, peering out into the landscape. It’s about being there, feeling it, then capturing a part of that moment.