Gezicht op een landschap met water en bomen before 1900

Editor: So, here we have “Gezicht op een landschap met water en bomen” or “View of a Landscape with Water and Trees,” a photograph made before 1900 by A. Wande. It’s a gelatin silver print, and there’s something so peaceful about it. A still body of water reflecting a stark, leafless tree. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Well, I find it fascinating to consider photography from this period. Pre-1900, photography was still developing as an artistic medium, grappling with its relationship to painting and the "fine arts." This image, published in a book of artistic photography, suggests a desire to elevate photography to that level, using landscape as a "safe" and established genre from painting. The muted tones, the soft focus… what do those choices suggest about the artist’s intention? Editor: Maybe to create a timeless scene? Something…artistic rather than documentary? Curator: Precisely! Think about the social and cultural context. What kind of person is photographing this scene, including it in a publication like this? It suggests an educated, middle- or upper-class individual with the means to access new technology and the cultural capital to engage in artistic debates. This photographer wants their art taken seriously, in other words. How might a modern artist engage with this subject differently, I wonder? Editor: That's interesting, the photograph becomes part of a bigger picture of the development of photography, not just an individual work. Curator: Exactly, art is always a dialogue with the society of its time. By recognizing those societal structures, and understanding the intent behind it, we learn about much more than art! Editor: I never thought of photography from this time in that way; I’ll be sure to consider photography and the society in which it was made from now on. Curator: Indeed. Now, if we look at the image next to the original publication’s description, you begin to see even more layers of interpretation!