Huizen aan een weg 1903 - 1907

Here we have an undated photograph by an anonymous maker titled ‘Huizen aan een weg.’ There’s something beautiful about how the landscape is captured here, a kind of soft focus, almost romanticized view. The dirt road leads the eye into the heart of the image, dividing fields with houses to either side, and this large tree dominates the composition. I’m drawn to the texture, how the contrast almost makes it feel like an etching or drawing. The monochromatic palette adds to the dreamlike quality, blurring the lines between reality and memory. When I look at it, I'm reminded of the work of Peter Doig or maybe even Gerhard Richter, these artists who similarly play with surface and depth, inviting us to question what we see. It’s a reminder that art is never really finished, but is always in process.