Gezicht op Elisha's Fountain te Jericho c. 1870 - 1875

Editor: Here we have a work called "Gezicht op Elisha's Fountain te Jericho," which translates to "View of Elisha's Fountain at Jericho," created around 1870 to 1875, an albumen print from Horatio Herbert Kitchener's travels. The monochrome tones and dense foliage create a kind of textured, almost tactile surface, don't you think? What are your initial observations regarding its composition? Curator: Indeed. Observe how Kitchener structures the composition around a play of light and shadow. The dense, almost claustrophobic, thicket contrasts sharply with the glimmers of water, drawing our eye along a sinuous path. It isn't a traditionally "beautiful" landscape; there is an almost unsettling emphasis on the materiality of the foliage and the rocks. What affect does the specific use of light have on your impression? Editor: It definitely creates a sense of depth. The stark contrast pulls my focus toward the small stream and the boulders lining the stream bank in the center. Curator: Precisely. The contrast isn't merely descriptive; it is structural. Think about the photographer’s intentional positioning. It subtly unsettles the expected harmonious depiction of nature. It's a photograph that calls attention to its construction. Editor: So, are you saying it is less about the subject matter of the landscape, and more about how Kitchener chose to represent it photographically? Curator: Precisely! The selection of the angle, and the printing, create a certain tone through formal arrangement and pictorial elements, directing our focus toward surface, line and value relationships. Editor: I never thought about landscape photography being able to depart from the pure subject it's meant to document. This albumen print really complicates our assumptions about realism and the artifice of artistic representation! Curator: That is indeed something that makes art such a rewarding study, and such encounters allow us to reflect on art with ever increasing awareness.