Aangemeerde zeil- en roeiboten c. 1920 - 1940

This photogravure shows some moored sailboats and rowboats, captured by G. Hidderley, and printed on a small rectangular support. Looking closely, the tones are sepia, maybe a bit faded, creating a soft, dreamy effect. The boats themselves are the stars, lined up as if waiting for their turn to shine. Their reflections shimmer in the water, a dance of light and shadow. I’m drawn to the way the artist captured the texture of the wooden hulls, the way the light catches on the rippling water. It’s like a scene from a half-remembered dream. There's one dark, almost black, rowing boat in the mid-ground, which seems to stand out against the many paler tones in the picture. It's a tiny detail, but it grounds the whole image, giving it a focal point. It reminds me a bit of some of Atget’s photographs, a little rough around the edges but full of atmosphere. It's about seeing the beauty in the everyday, the poetry in the ordinary. That’s what makes it so compelling.