Gezicht op Slot Haamstede 1890 - 1920

This view of Castle Haamstede comes to us from an anonymous photographer, developed on film. I imagine them working in a darkroom, agitating the chemicals, patiently watching the image appear like a memory coming into focus. It’s easy to imagine that they made the picture on a grey day. See the way the light falls across the facade, blurring the line between the building and the sky. There's a stark contrast between the bare branches of the trees and the solid geometry of the architecture. The branches reach and stretch, revealing the history of building, rebuilding, and the touch of many hands on the stone. You can feel the artist thinking about documentation, about architecture, but also something personal, like a portrait. There’s a sensitivity and intimacy, a sense of wonder and mystery, a sense of the quiet and a stillness that comes from really looking. It feels like the start of a conversation, not the end.