Paifang bij de keizerlijke graftombes van de Ming dynastie te Peking before 1920

This is Donald Mennie's photo of a Paifang gate near the Ming Dynasty tombs in Peking. It’s so still, like a drawing in sepia tones. I imagine Mennie setting up his camera, maybe feeling a bit like an intruder, but also respectful. What was he thinking as he framed this shot? Did he feel the weight of history, the power of the emperors, the vastness of time? The photo itself is like a gate—a passage to another world, another way of seeing. It reminds me that artists are always looking, always seeking to capture a moment, a feeling, a truth. It’s like we're all in this ongoing conversation, echoing and riffing off each other's visions. And it leaves space for us, the viewers, to wander in and make our own connections.