Ernest van Zuylen – { feuilleton }

Misty wood (c. 1910) by Charles Corbet.

A perfect autumnal scene from Charles Corbet, one of many woodland views at the Belgian Autochromists site. As usual with autochromes it’s hard to believe that almost all these images are over a century old, the colours are so subtle. Some of the lighting is also remarkable, especially the self-portraits by Ernest van Zuylen which are lit with a single candle. Paul Sano’s lady sitting in the garden gives a foretaste of Magritte-like Surrealism, its inset eclipse appearing at first glance to be a large black sphere hovering unnoticed or ignored beside the seated woman.

Via Wood s Lot.