Markten in Paramaribo 1925 - 1935

This photograph called, Markten in Paramaribo, was taken by an unknown artist, using a small camera, sometime in the past. I love photographs when they’re so old the details start to get soft. It’s like the world is dissolving a little bit, showing you it’s all a process. The grays here are so important, it’s almost like the artist is sculpting with light. Look at the pile of what I think are yams in the foreground, and how they become this pyramid of swirling, indistinct forms, a kind of gray mountain, echoed in the soft shapes of the people in the background. It's the tonal contrast, rather than line, that defines the edge of the woman’s dress and her assured posture. This makes me think of the way that art is constantly shifting and evolving – it's never fixed. Just like this photo, it’s all in flux, inviting us to bring our own vision to it. Sort of like what happens in the work of Gerhard Richter, or even Vija Celmins.