Voorgevel van het Arsenaal of stadsturfpakhuizen te Amsterdam 1909

This anonymous black and white photograph captures the Voorgevel van het Arsenaal of stadsturfpakhuizen te Amsterdam. It’s just so Amsterdam, isn't it? I can imagine the photographer carefully setting up their equipment, framing the old brickwork, and waiting for the light. There's something so sturdy about this building. You can almost feel the weight of history in those bricks. It’s the kind of building that makes you wonder about all the lives and stories that have passed through its doors. Looking at the photograph, I’m struck by the texture of the brick and the way the light catches the roof tiles. It reminds me how a painter might build up layers of color and form, each stroke adding depth and character. When you put it like that, photography and painting aren’t all that different! Artists are always in conversation with each other, borrowing, and riffing off ideas, whether they know it or not. And it’s up to us, the viewers, to keep that conversation going.