Cadettenschool te Alkmaar 1893

Curator: It feels sepia-toned with serious Dutch respectability; perfectly symmetrical and proper but drained of almost all vitality. It's like the buildings are exhaling starch. Editor: This gelatin-silver print from 1893 depicts the Cadettenschool in Alkmaar. The photographers, C. van der Aa and J. Chrispijn, have captured more than just buildings; they’ve documented an institution, an idea. Notice how the architectural forms are not just aesthetically pleasing, but structurally imposing and severe? Curator: That’s the perfect word—severe. There's not a single playful angle or ornament anywhere. It’s a kind of visual dogma that’s both impressive and a bit oppressive. I'm drawn to the light, though—it's even and unflinching, but there are some interesting plays with texture in the brickwork. Editor: Exactly. These institutions and civic structures reflected—and still reflect—the values of the state. This academy’s imposing structure broadcast power and instilled discipline. The building material itself—those austere red bricks and geometrical construction—speaks of order and a rationalist view of progress so prevalent at the time. It also visually communicates the purpose of such places during this rise of nationalism. Curator: Thinking about it, photography itself contributed to that institutional mindset. Everything so clearly categorized, labelled, presented for inspection—the very act of capturing an image implies a sort of power and control. Look how insignificant those little figures appear on the lawn! Editor: The figures are almost an afterthought. Scale is deliberately used here to portray dominance of state over individual. And by immortalizing that physical dominance on the photographic print, it underscores its seemingly timeless nature. It implies a sense of permanency. Curator: It makes you wonder about all the invisible structures in our lives, doesn't it? And who is choosing how and what we perceive to be "real." Still, for all its weight, I keep finding the interplay between hard lines and soft light subtly captivating. Editor: A poignant reminder that architecture isn’t just about bricks and mortar, but reflects, embodies and also constructs, social order. Perhaps we all should look a bit harder at the buildings we pass, they communicate just as much as any propaganda piece.