Dubbelportret van een onbekend Japans echtpaar 1900 - 1920

Here's an early photograph by T Jingu of a Japanese couple, in formal dress. The tonal range, from light to dark, is really subtle, making the whole image glow. Look at how their outfits blend into the background, but then your eye is drawn to the white details, those small explosions of light and delicate line work. This feels like a process of reduction, of paring down the image to its core essence, leaving behind only the most important elements. There's a softness to the image, which reminds me of the way Gerhard Richter blurs his paintings, creating a sense of ambiguity and impermanence. Like Richter's work, this photograph invites us to question what we're seeing, to look beyond the surface and consider the layers of meaning beneath. The couple looks so serious, but the light is so soft, that you can't help feel there's love.