Pondok in het bos 1900 - 1922

This photograph, Pondok in het bos, was taken by Robert Julius Boers. It's a stereograph, which means there are two nearly identical images side-by-side that create a 3D effect when viewed through a special viewer. I think of all the people who saw these images and learned about other cultures, and the world. What was Boers thinking as he set up the shot? Was he thinking of Dutch landscape painters, like Jacob van Ruisdael, as he framed this image of a small wooden house, or 'pondok', amidst a dense, sepia-toned forest? Was he even aware of the visual tropes he was participating in? There’s something very still and contemplative about the composition. It reminds me that the artist isn’t just representing what they see, but also offering a way of seeing. Each click of the shutter extends a conversation, engaging with other artists across time, all trying to make sense of the world in their own ways.