Rivier in het Tempedal in Thessalië before 1910

This small black and white photograph by Frédéric Boissonnas captures a river scene in Thessaly; it's a shadowy, textured landscape. I imagine Boissonnas wading into the water, setting up his camera among the trees, trying to capture the essence of this place. What kind of light was he working with? What was it like to be there, feeling the cool air coming off the water, listening to the sounds of the river and the rustling leaves? There’s a dreamy quality to the image, a kind of timelessness. You think of Corot and other painters who tried to capture the feeling of being in nature, recording and reinterpreting it for us. Each artist brings their own sensibility. It’s never just about replicating what’s there, but about finding a way to express the feeling of a place and communicate it.