Bloeiende kersenboomgaard te Apeldoorn c. 1900 - 1940

This photographic print of a blossoming cherry orchard in Apeldoorn was made by Richard Tepe sometime in the early 20th century. I love the way that the sepia tone gives the image an ethereal quality, as though we are looking back to a half-remembered dream. The surface of the print has a beautiful texture, like vellum. It is almost like a drawing, a sketch made with light. Look closely at the upper right of the image, at how the blossoms seem to glow against the sky, creating a soft halo effect. It's so subtle, so delicate, it's almost as though Tepe was painting with light, not just capturing an image. I'm reminded of early photography experiments, and how artists like Alfred Stieglitz used photography to explore the boundaries between reality and imagination. I see this piece as a visual poem, a quiet meditation on the beauty and transience of nature, and the ability of photography to both capture and transform it.