Vrouw met bloemen 1907 - 1916

Johannes Hendrikus Antonius Maria Lutz made this photograph, *Vrouw met bloemen*, with some kind of photographic process that gives it a hazy, dreamlike quality. There's a softness to the whole thing that makes you wonder how much is controlled and how much is left to chance. The surface is full of these tiny imperfections, like little dots scattered across the dark background. They’re not flaws, exactly, but they remind you that this is an object, a thing made of materials. It’s a reminder that the artist's hand—or in this case, his eye and his process—was involved. Those specks give the image depth and texture, like looking at an old painting where the layers of varnish have started to crack. Look at the way the light catches the flowers on the table. They feel ephemeral and alive. It’s that tension between decay and beauty that I find so compelling. It makes me think of other artists like Félix Vallotton who used photography to capture intimate moments. There's a conversation happening here.