Untitled--Forest c. 1930 - 1940

August Sander made this small photograph of a forest at an unknown date, and with it, composed a quiet scene in shades of grey. It feels less like a document and more like a personal reflection. You can imagine Sander standing in the snow, looking up through the trees, maybe thinking about the way light filters through the branches. It’s not about a grand vista but about the intimate experience of being in this specific place. There is an evenness, the image is consistently grey. The texture of the snow and bark feel almost palpable, like you could reach out and touch them. Sander was interested in documenting different aspects of German society and culture and this forest scene could be a kind of portrait too—revealing something about the German relationship to nature, perhaps? Or maybe he simply wanted to capture the feeling of being surrounded by trees, conveying a sense of peace, or maybe melancholy, that comes from being alone in the woods. Artists are constantly in conversation, you know, trading ideas, influencing each other across time.