Vier gezichten op Terschelling met de vuurtoren Brandaris 1931 - 1935

This photographic artwork by Berti Hoppe presents four views of Terschelling with the Brandaris lighthouse, capturing the island and its iconic structure from various perspectives. The silver gelatin prints are arranged on a dark grey page, each image a fragment of the island’s identity. Look at the way Hoppe has approached the composition, with the lighthouse as a central motif. Each photograph required careful labor, from setting up the camera to developing the prints in the darkroom. The tonal range achieved in the silver gelatin process gives each scene a tactile quality. The varying distances and angles suggest a journey. Photography democratized image-making, making it more accessible than traditional painting or sculpture, yet it retained a craft element in the darkroom processes. By presenting these views in a constructed album page, Hoppe elevates the documentary nature of photography to an artistic composition. We can think of the work as a commentary on place, memory, and the industrialization of sight.