Gezicht op de oever van de Albarine rivier, bij Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey before 1895

This is E. Piaget's "View of the Banks of the Albarine River, near Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey", a print of modest dimensions. The photograph's stark monochrome and the composition’s orientation immediately arrest us. The image presents a reflection of the landscape. The Albarine River acts as a mirror, doubling the scene and creating a symmetrical, yet inverted world. Notice how the vertical lines of the trees are mirrored in the water, creating a play of depth and flatness. The artist invites us to contemplate the slippage between reality and representation, nature and artifice. The photograph also plays with the idea of dualism, a concept that echoes throughout philosophical discourse, questioning our understanding of perception and existence. The photograph is not merely a depiction but an inquiry into the nature of seeing itself. It makes us aware of how we construct meaning through the images we encounter.