Kas met vruchtdragende aardbeienplanten c. 1900 - 1940

Richard Tepe captured this image of a greenhouse with strawberry plants, its date unknown. The photograph is dominated by the greenhouse's receding architecture, its structural lines converging towards a vanishing point that directs the gaze. This linear perspective creates a sense of depth and enclosure. The rows of strawberry plants, densely packed and spilling over their containers, introduce an organic contrast to the geometric regularity of the greenhouse frame. This contrast draws attention to how nature is contained and organized. The pale tonality and diffuse light soften the industrial aspects of the structure. Tepe’s composition raises questions about the relationship between nature and artifice, and the way that systems of order are imposed on the natural world. This interplay invites us to consider the cultural and philosophical implications of controlled environments and our manipulation of natural processes.