De Clifton Suspension Bridge 1901

Frits Freerks Fontein Fz. created this photograph of the Clifton Suspension Bridge using a photographic process. The monochrome palette gives a timeless feel, like looking into the past, but with a crisp clarity. The image's texture is intriguing; it seems to capture the grit and weight of the stone. Look closely at the arches and supports of the bridge. You can almost feel the roughhewn texture of the stone blocks, the same blocks that have stood for generations. The artist has captured the way the light catches on the edges of the bridge, and how that light describes form. The light creates a sense of depth and presence. This photograph reminds me of some of Bernd and Hilla Becher's austere industrial landscapes, in that same way it elevates the everyday through close and careful looking. It's a conversation across time about how we see and interpret the structures around us.