Lokale arbeiders in een plantsoen te Padang 1891 - 1912

Christiaan Benjamin Nieuwenhuis made this photograph, Lokale arbeiders in een plantsoen te Padang, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. The image is all about atmosphere, this hazy gray that almost flattens the tonal range in places, and the way the figures appear, posed but also very natural. I really love how the light seems to reveal form. Look at the way the edges of the trees are picked out against the sky, or the way the white uniform of the figure in the foreground almost glows. Then notice how these highlights contrast with the darker, denser areas of foliage, creating a push-pull effect that animates the whole scene. The eye is kept moving around the picture. This photograph reminds me a little of some of the early Impressionist painters, like Pissarro, who were also interested in capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere. But Nieuwenhuis brings a different sensibility to the work, something to do with colonialism and it's impact. It's a reminder that art is always evolving, always in dialogue with itself.