Ruiterspel met grote bal, Medan Sumatra c. 1900 - 1905

This photograph, ‘Ruiterspel met grote bal, Medan Sumatra’ by Heinrich Ernst & Co, captures a leisurely scene, maybe even a moment of playful sport. It makes you think about how different painting is from photography, one slow and considered, the other quick, fleeting – yet both can crystallize a feeling, an attitude. What must it have been like to witness this moment? The photographer carefully chose their angle, framing the scene with an eye for composition. It's a document but also an interpretation. The sepia tones lend it a melancholic air, like looking back at a world now lost. Think of other artists who tried to capture similar scenes. Degas with his horses and riders, for example, but in paint, each brushstroke adding another layer of emotion and movement. Artists are always looking, borrowing, stealing from each other, transforming the world through their own unique vision. It’s a constant conversation across time.