Archeologische opgravingen in Hongarije 1928

Jan Lanting took this photograph of an archeological dig in Hungary sometime between 1896 and 1985. Imagine him with his camera, picking the best angle to document the scene. What strikes me about this image is the tension between revelation and concealment. The holes in the earth suggest a kind of violence, but also a careful process of uncovering. Like an abstract painting, this image is both a record of an action and an invitation to contemplate what lies beneath the surface. The monochromatic palette contributes to a sense of timelessness, as if the scene exists outside of any specific moment. I keep wondering, what was Lanting thinking as he framed this shot? Was he aware of the parallels between his own act of capturing an image and the archaeologists’ work of excavating the past? It’s this kind of quiet contemplation that makes me appreciate the exchange of ideas across time and practice.