Landschappen met zee en water te Texel 1931 - 1935

This photo album leaf by Berti Hoppe is a collection of black and white silver gelatin prints capturing landscapes with the sea and water at Texel. I love how Hoppe arranges these photographs, like a series of sketches in a visual diary, each image a slightly different take on the same subject. The monochrome palette gives everything a timeless quality, like looking into a memory. Take the photograph labeled "Das Meer." The horizon is soft and blurry, and there is a blurry foreground, maybe a sand dune. It's not about sharp details, but the feeling of vastness. The texture in these prints is subtle but present, a kind of gentle graininess that makes you feel like you could almost touch the air. I am reminded of the work of Gerhard Richter who also explored the landscape in his work, but using a more painterly approach. Like Richter, Hoppe emphasizes the act of looking and feeling, reminding us that art is always a conversation. It's about opening up possibilities, not closing them down.