Een heilige tempel met elf daken op zuid Bali 1900 - 1915

Here we have "Een heilige tempel met elf daken op zuid Bali", made by Johanna Hermina Marmelstein. The image is almost monochromatic, with subtle tonal variations suggesting the tropical light of South Bali, as though filtered through layers of cloud. You know, when I look at this photograph, I find myself thinking about the act of seeing itself. How Marmelstein chose to frame this temple, how she arranged the layers of the image, it's all part of a conversation about perspective. The eleven roofs rise like steps to the heavens. The texture in the roofs feels tactile, almost like thick impasto paint. I’m reminded of Bernd and Hilla Becher’s photographs of industrial structures: simple photographs elevated to high art. It's not just about the subject, but the way the subject is presented, seen, and understood. It's a dance of ideas across time.