Windmolen en een boerderij bij Hillegersberg, op de voorgrond een man in een roeiboot c. 1905 - 1907

This photographic print of a Windmill and farm near Hillegersberg with a man in a rowboat in the foreground was probably made with a glass negative. It’s all about the range of tones here, from dark to light. Just look at the water. It’s like the inkiness of the photograph is breathing, especially in the way it reflects the sky. I wonder if he had to wait for a cloudy day or something? I’m also fascinated by the way the smoke looks like the clouds. It's a very physical, very tonal piece. When you look at it you feel as if you're looking at an object, rather than a depiction of something. There is a kind of stillness in the image. Thinking about other artists who are fascinated by these tonal values, I think of someone like Gerhard Richter. He likes to make things that seem to be about nothing at all, but are actually about how we see.