Haven met aangemeerde zeilboten before 1899

P. Fraenkel created this black and white photograph of a harbor with docked sailboats. The scene is presented in a landscape format, its composition almost divided into two horizontal registers. The lower portion is filled with the stillness of the water, its surface reflecting soft, diffused light. Above, the sailboats form a line of jagged silhouettes, each mast and sail disrupting the horizon with their vertical thrusts. Further back, we catch glimpses of the buildings which are neatly aligned along the harbor's edge. The photograph is a play of light and shadow; the contrast emphasizes the material presence of the boats against the ethereal quality of the sky. The photograph challenges our perception of space, oscillating between depth and surface. Fraenkel uses the contrast between water and architecture to explore themes of stability and transience.