Man komt in aanraking met een spook 1885 - 1920

This stereo card, “Man komt in aanraking met een spook” or “Man comes into contact with a ghost”, is an early photograph, by an unknown artist, that presents a staged scene with a very limited palette. The sepia tones give it that ghostly quality and a sense of an imagined past. It reminds us that artmaking is always a kind of conjuring. The man’s outstretched arm, reaching towards the draped figure, is so theatrical. It’s the kind of gesture you might see in an old silent film. And the ghost! Really just a piece of draped fabric, yet it totally does the job, doesn’t it? It’s this beautiful, simple effect, a reminder that the most affecting moments in art can come from the most humble materials. This piece shares a certain playful, do-it-yourself spirit with the work of artists like Fischli & Weiss, who make amazing things from whatever is at hand. But unlike their knowing, deadpan aesthetic, this image has a real earnestness, a belief in the power of illusion.