Medanhotel 1914 - 1919

Here's a curious little photograph of the Medanhotel, its maker unknown. Looking at this I imagine the photographer there, camera in hand, seeing this view for the first time. It’s bathed in light. The glare is almost dreamlike and the trees cast all these spooky shadows over the grounds. You know, that can be the thing about taking a picture – chasing after light, right? Waiting for the perfect moment when everything lines up. I wonder what the photographer was thinking? They might have been trying to capture the feeling of the place – the heat, the quiet, the grandeur of the architecture. It makes me think about how all artists, in their own way, are just trying to make sense of the world around them. I bet this photographer’s work influenced others who came after them, and so it goes on. We all keep going back and forth to each other, stealing ideas, or just getting a little boost of inspiration.