Stilleven met seringen en vaas 1910 - 1930

Richard Tepe made this photograph, Stilleven met seringen en vaas, using a photographic process that creates a sense of soft focus and muted tones, like a dream. The making of a photograph, like a painting, is all about the way the artist chooses to see. The image has a tactile quality. Look how the lilacs spill out, almost falling into our space. The contrast between the blooms and the patterned vase next to them is where the image really sings. The vase looks hand-painted, right? Just like the lilacs, the brushstrokes on the vase are soft and considered. There's a quiet conversation happening here between what's found in nature and what's made by hand. It reminds me of the still life paintings of Giorgio Morandi, who also found endless inspiration in simple, everyday objects. What’s really special about Tepe's image is the way it suggests that seeing is an active process of finding beauty in the world.