Toren van de Hervormde Kerk te Leusden 1901

This unassuming photograph of the Toren van de Hervormde Kerk te Leusden—a church tower—was made by an anonymous photographer using, I assume, a camera! It’s such an unassuming image, yet it speaks to a really specific time, place, and way of seeing. When I look at it, I’m drawn in by the soft tonal gradations, the subtle shifts from light to shadow, and the overall stillness of the scene. I mean, this artist—whoever they were—was clearly thinking about the architecture, but also about light, and how the light can be used to create a sense of atmosphere. It's as if the tower and surrounding trees exist in a shared, hazy space, and its all kind of one thing. And you can tell this person knew what they were doing! They have positioned the tower in the frame in such a way as to highlight its height and monumentality while also emphasizing its relationship to the surrounding landscape. It reminds me of the way painters in the Romantic tradition used to depict architecture: as something imposing but ultimately subject to the forces of nature. This photograph is a reminder that artists are always building on what came before.