Versailles, Le Parc 1905

This photograph, Versailles, Le Parc, was captured by Eugène Atget, and you know, it's like stepping back in time. It’s a scene of a grand garden—there’s this ornate vase, and the steps and hedges that recede into the distance. What was Atget thinking as he composed this shot? You can almost feel him framing the architecture of the park. I wonder if he wanted to capture the fleeting moment. The sepia tones lend such a timeless quality. Looking at Atget’s process, I can imagine the darkroom, the alchemy of light and chemicals transforming an ordinary scene into something magical. There’s a clarity and simplicity in his gaze, and it makes you appreciate how photography can freeze a moment. It reminds you of Walker Evans, another photographer who found beauty in everyday scenes. Like them, we, as painters, are also image makers. We all translate our observations into marks.