Feuchte Blätter (Moist Leaves Moist Sheets); Die Ziehende Tiefe (The Wandering Depth), Rut Blees Luxemberg

These two works by German artist Rut Blees Luxemberg are part of a body of fourteen photographs titled Liebeslied (Lovesong), taken between 1997 and 2000. Influenced by the German Romantic poetry of Friedrich Holderlin (1770-1843), the images present an intimate portrayal of the London landscape at night. Shot using a large-format camera and a long exposure, the images capture the melancholy stillness of the city, illuminated by the glow of ambient street light. Glossy surfaces of water shifting over concrete, and a tree reflected in a puddle, reveal the power and beauty of the natural world emerging through the filter of the urban environment.