Pagina 81 van fotoboek van de Algemeene Vereeniging van Rubberplanters ter Oostkust van Sumatra (A.V.R.O.S.) c. 1924 - 1925

This is a photograph by J.W. Meyster, one page from a larger photo book documenting the Sumatra Rubber Plantation. What's immediately striking is the tonality – the sepia wash, which gives everything this nostalgic, almost dreamy feel. It's like looking at a memory. When you look closer, you notice how the photograph is composed; the plantation stretching out as far as the eye can see. The texture of the palm leaves is incredible, each one captured in sharp detail, a dense, almost overwhelming accumulation of growth. There's a path snaking its way through the plantation and this is a brilliant piece of composition. Meyster, who died in a Japanese internment camp, reminds me a little of August Sander, another photographer who attempted to capture a wide-ranging portrait of society. Both artists had a documentary approach, trying to grasp the essence of a subject or place. This image, like any good artwork, has so much to say about people and the world around us.