Soldaten marcheren een tentenkamp binnen before 1898

Editor: This is a gelatin silver print entitled "Soldaten marcheren een tentenkamp binnen," which translates to "Soldiers Marching into a Tent Camp," made before 1898 by Maurice Bucquet. It feels strangely serene given the subject matter; the lines of soldiers are almost decorative. What do you make of this piece? Curator: The serence feeling comes in part from its seeming ambiguity, a pause. Soldiers imply impending action, and tents conjure ideas of shelter, or impermanence. Observe how the low perspective places us, the viewer, firmly on the ground, almost in the path of these approaching figures. Editor: So you are saying the artist chose a point of view that makes the viewer a participant, even if indirectly? Curator: Exactly! And what symbols are repeated? Notice how their dark uniforms and the shaded areas under the tents almost echo one another. Consider how the dark shades frame and almost entrap them, their duty and submission almost preordained.. Editor: I never considered that. I saw soldiers and tents, but you're right, they mirror one another almost, as if one contains or creates the other. Are the trees relevant too? Curator: Always! Here the trees may represent the boundaries and restrictions of this place in the landscape. How this photo is contained in a book also has a great effect; it may suggest something of a fable. It's up to us to see through its telling. Editor: It's amazing how a simple image can hold such complicated cultural and emotional meanings when you start digging into the symbolism. Curator: Indeed. And the "truth" of photography itself contributes to that sense of a world unfolding according to set rules and rituals.