Schoorsteen in de kasteelruïne van Asten 1890 - 1920

This photograph of the chimney in the castle ruin of Asten was made by an anonymous photographer for Monumentenzorg. It's a muted palette, almost ghostly, with shades of gray that seem to blend the stone with the air around it. The surface texture of the image is fascinating, with the rough stone playing against the smooth photographic paper, reminding us that artmaking is always a conversation between materials. Look closely at the ruined brickwork in the firebox. It’s like a puzzle, each brick a deliberate mark, a testament to time and decay. The ornate carvings, though faded, still whisper stories of craftsmanship and purpose, now surrendered to the elements. This photograph reminds me of the stark beauty in Bernd and Hilla Becher's photographs of industrial structures. While the Bechers catalogue form, here, we see a dance between preservation and entropy, where the past and present merge into a single, ambiguous statement.