Gezicht op de oude vuurtoren van Oostvoorne 1907

This photograph, titled "Gezicht op de oude vuurtoren van Oostvoorne," captures an old lighthouse in Oostvoorne, and was made by an anonymous artist. The photograph is executed with a limited tonal range. What strikes me first is the texture. The rough hewn bricks of the tower are clearly visible, and are contrasted with the softness of the surrounding grassland. You can almost feel the grit of the stone and the sway of the grass. This contrast is echoed in the image’s composition, where the rigid verticality of the tower is set against the horizontal plane of the land. Looking at this image I'm reminded of the stark, monumental photographs by Eugène Atget, who also documented the changing face of the world around him with a similar eye for detail and mood. Like Atget, this anonymous photographer encourages us to see the beauty and dignity in what might otherwise be overlooked or forgotten. Art is a way of holding onto things.