Gezicht op het Kasteel van Wijchen na de restauratie 1908

This photograph of Gezicht op het Kasteel van Wijchen na de restauratie was probably made using a large format camera. The level of detail is remarkable, it feels like a completely neutral observation, yet that in itself is an aesthetic choice. The surface is almost perfectly smooth, which belies the complexity of capturing such a scene in one still image. I’m drawn to the symmetry of the composition, the way the structure of the castle mirrors itself. There is a central tower, flanked by what look like identical wings. It’s this kind of formal arrangement, that for me, turns an image into art. This photograph is reminiscent of the work of Eugène Atget, who obsessively documented Parisian architecture at the turn of the century. Like Atget, the photographer captures a sense of history, but the photograph is also a testament to the act of restoration, of preserving something for the future. The photograph itself becomes part of that story, an echo of the past resonating in the present. It suggests that art, like life, is all about change and the possibility of regeneration.