Prentbriefkaart aan Philip Zilcken en Henriette Wilhelmina van Baak before 1912

Léon Paschal made this postcard to Philip Zilcken and Henriette Wilhelmina van Baak as a general view of Glion. It’s interesting to think about photography as a kind of mark making, here using shades of grey instead of colours. The variations in tone are quite subtle. You know, like when you mix black and white paint together and try to get all those in-between shades? The textures are more implied than explicitly rendered. You can make out the rough texture of the mountains and the smoother surfaces of the buildings. Look at the way the light catches the peaks of the mountains. It gives them a sense of depth and volume, while the buildings below are flatter, more like shapes arranged on a surface. It's a bit like looking at a painting by someone like Edward Hopper, the way they both use light and shadow to create a sense of mood and atmosphere. And you know, it just goes to show you, art's just one big conversation, everyone riffing off each other, trying to see the world in a new way.