Paard met wagen, met op de achtergrond werkende mannen 1902 - 1903

Léonard Misonne made this photograph, Paard met wagen, met op de achtergrond werkende mannen, at some point between 1890 and 1943. I like how Misonne has played with light and shadow, creating a dreamy atmosphere around the horse-drawn cart and the workers in the background. The misty, soft-focus quality almost feels like you're peering into a memory or a scene from a play. I wonder if Misonne was thinking about the relationship between humans, animals, and the industrializing world when he made this image. It’s as if the scene is caught between worlds, with the traditional mode of transport and labor juxtaposed against the suggestion of a more modern backdrop. You can almost feel the weight and the grit of the work, and the quiet determination of the figures involved. Painters are always looking at photographs, of course, but photographers are looking at paintings, too, and this photograph has a painterly feel. The mood and feeling that it evokes makes me feel like I could pick up a brush myself. I like to think we're all in conversation with one another.