Troncs d'arbres, Fontainebleau (Tree Trunks, Fontainebleau) 1855

Curator: Gustave Le Gray's 1855 photograph, "Tree Trunks, Fontainebleau," uses a gelatin-silver print to capture the stark textures of the forest. Editor: It feels almost unnervingly still. Those trees, grouped so closely, they feel like they're plotting something, or guarding a secret. Curator: Indeed, there's a palpable tension created through the deliberate arrangement and careful management of light and shadow. Consider Le Gray's masterful blending of romantic ideals with the emerging aesthetic of realism in photography. He also embraced plein-air, taking his cumbersome equipment outdoors to depict the direct observation of nature. Editor: Right, the outdoors, not a staged studio setup. It gives it a breath of authenticity. I imagine the labor involved with that cumbersome gear, each image an investment of toil and ingenuity, adding another layer to the scene’s allure. But why trees, do you think? Was he interested in their materiality? Curator: In focusing on these substantial, earthy trunks, Le Gray challenges hierarchies. He takes what was then often seen as mere background—the stage for human drama—and makes it the subject. It brings forward questions around labor, access to natural resources, and land use in 19th-century France, all viewed through the lens, literally, of early photographic processes. Editor: So it’s not just trees, but the whole economic ecosystem captured there in sepia tones! Knowing that reframes my reading—suddenly it's not ominous, but monumental, enduring, the trees standing as witnesses. They're part of something grander, connected below ground like nodes in a vast network. Curator: Precisely. Le Gray pushes against the picturesque, highlighting the tangible connection between photographic technique and environmental awareness of the period. Editor: It almost makes me feel like I could reach out and feel the roughness of the bark. Maybe I will after we are done recording! Curator: Understanding the confluence of artistic vision and material processes gives us such a greater appreciation for the piece. Editor: Definitely shifts the way I see it! A new perspective rooted, quite literally, in materiality.