Bomen before 1903

This black and white photograph by Eustave Young, called 'Bomen', seems to emerge from the page, like a memory or a dream. It is a picture of trees, maybe birch, standing in a forest. I imagine Young, the artist, staring at the scene, thinking about how to capture the light filtering through the branches. What does it feel like to stand in this place, with the sun on your face and the smell of the earth in your nostrils? The photograph is printed in the book, a double spread, and the other image shows horses pulling a cart - a juxtaposition of nature and civilisation, which could be a metaphor for the artist's own struggle to capture the fleeting beauty of the natural world. It's like Young is having a conversation with other artists, past and present, about the challenges and joys of representing the world around us. It reminds me of the work of painters like Gerhard Richter, who also explored the relationship between photography and painting, representation and abstraction. Ultimately, this photograph is a reminder that art is not just about capturing reality, but about transforming it.