Aepfel

August Kotzsch never lived more than a day’s walk from the small town of Loschwitz, Germany, and his rootedness in this landscape gave him an appreciation for its subtleties. In this striking photograph, the rigid geometry of the stack of apples contrasts with the imperfections and varied sizes of the fruit. Though Kotzsch created portraits and landscape photographs for the local market, this still life and the 50 others he produced were not meant for sale. Each still life features local fruits on a white plate in soft sunlight. The repetition of this simple subject matter and composition demonstrates Kotzsch’s attempt to capture nature’s endless variety.