Detail van een Pinus Maritima tegen egale achtergrond

Richard Tepe made this photo, Detail van een Pinus Maritima tegen egale achtergrond, sometime between 1864 and 1952, maybe as a study, using a camera and printing it in dreamy, neutral tones. Look at the way Tepe captured the needles – they burst out, sharp and clear, a bit like a disciplined explosion. Then there’s the pine cone, a tight, complex form, anchoring the whole thing. It's a study of contrasts: the rigid lines of the needles against the budding form of the cone, the way the light plays to give depth. I keep thinking about what it means to really look at something, to break it down into shapes and lines. It’s like Tepe is teaching us to see the world in a new way. Like when you make a painting, you start with what you see, then you build it up, layer by layer. Think of Bernd and Hilla Becher. It’s all about attention, noticing things, and finding the beauty in the everyday.