Boog van de Tuin (Tahkt-i-Bustan), Kirmanshah, Perzië Possibly 1925 - 1928

A.G.A. van Eelde made this black and white photograph, "Boog van de Tuin," capturing the Tahkt-i-Bustan in Kirmanshah, Persia. What gets me about this photo is the rough and uneven texture of the rock face, and the way the light falls across it. It's like the artist is inviting us to feel the weight of the stone, and the slow, geological time that formed it. Then you notice the arches carved into the rock, echoing the natural curves. It's so interesting to see how human intervention interacts with the natural landscape here, and the contrast between the smooth, geometric arches and the rugged rock face is really striking. Look at the upper left-hand side of the larger arch, and how the carving has broken away. This accidental mark gives the image its power. It reminds me of something De Kooning might have made, and it feels like a conversation between very different moments in time. This photo encapsulates an ambiguity, the space between decay and renewal.