Twee Wehrmacht soldaten aan zee met een paard Possibly 1940 - 1948

This photograph, “Twee Wehrmacht soldaten aan zee met een paard”, in the Rijksmuseum, shows two Wehrmacht soldiers with a horse at the sea. It's a small, almost pocket-sized piece. What strikes me most is the photograph’s texture; you can almost feel the graininess of the sand beneath their boots. The light and shadow play here, and the way the tones delineate the soldiers’ uniforms, the horse's body, and the distant horizon, is captivating. The anonymous photographer’s approach to capturing the scene, with its delicate balance of light and dark, feels strangely modern to me. Consider the light reflecting off the wet sand, a subtle detail that gives the whole image an air of ephemeral beauty. It reminds me a little of Gerhard Richter's grey paintings, but with a disquieting, historical twist. Ultimately, this photograph reminds us that even in the midst of conflict, moments of quiet beauty can still be found, and captured. It's a testament to art's ability to embrace ambiguity and offer multiple interpretations, even in the face of history.