Bouw van een olietank van de raffinaderij in de jungle van Nederlands-Indië c. 1900 - 1915

This photograph captures the construction of an oil tank in the jungle of the Dutch East Indies, taken by M. Graadt van Roggen. It’s all sepia tones, blurring the line between the tank and the trees. There’s a real rawness to the surface, a kind of material honesty. Look at how the scaffolding is rendered, thin lines that give the eye something to follow. The tone of the trees merges with the tank; it’s so subtle, it reminds me of Gerhard Richter’s blurred paintings, where the subject seems to dissolve into its surroundings. There's a figure there, working, close to the ground. The presence of a person really brings this shot to life. I think we often look to find detail, but it's the haziness that makes this piece so striking. There's no definition here, but the more I look, the more I see.