Gezicht op een bergdorp in Nederlands-Indië c. 1920 - 1930

Klaas Kleiterp made this small photograph, 'Gezicht op een bergdorp in Nederlands-Indië’, at an unknown date. The image is bathed in a kind of hazy light, and the lack of strong contrast gives it an ethereal quality, like a memory fading at the edges. The textures here are subtle but insistent. See how the soft focus almost blurs the distinction between the built environment and the landscape, like the mountain village is nestling into the hillside. I’m drawn to the road that winds its way down to the cluster of buildings; it’s like a delicate thread connecting the village to the wider world. There’s something about the tonal range and composition of this image that reminds me of the Hudson River School painters. Like their work, this photograph seems to capture a sense of wonder and awe in the face of nature. Art's not just about seeing; it's about feeling and connecting.