De Graf Zeppelin II 1936 - 1937

This striking photograph, "De Graf Zeppelin II" by Presse-Photo GMBH, captures an industrial scene. It's not about the colors here, since it's black and white, but rather the tonal range. The greys somehow amplify the image’s unsettling, dreamlike quality. Look closely at the arched forms on the horizon. Are they the ends of airship hangars? There's something about the repetition, and the sharp contrast between the architecture and the rural landscape, which creates a push and pull, a weird sense of harmony. These shapes sit heavily on the horizon, dominating the composition. The artist brings a sense of foreboding with the monochrome tones. It brings to mind the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher, another German photography duo interested in industrial structures. But while the Bechers adopted a more clinical approach, "De Graf Zeppelin II" has a romantic, almost surreal edge. Art, after all, isn't just about seeing – it’s about feeling, questioning, and reimagining the world around us.