Leerlingen van Schule Schloss Salem tijdens een dramatische uitvoering c. 1929

This photograph shows students from Schule Schloss Salem during a dramatic performance. It was made anonymously, and at some point in the twentieth century, probably, though I can't tell exactly when. Look at the composition; the students cluster in the foreground, their draped costumes a study in monochrome, like a classical frieze. The architecture looms in the background, a stark contrast to the soft textures of the clothing. It's not so much the 'what' but the 'how' that intrigues me here. I’m struck by the fact that the artist is unknown; it's somehow appropriate given the setting of this image. The high-contrast light flattens the scene, turning it into a pattern of light and shadow; it's so easy to imagine this as an abstract painting, with its subtle tonal shifts and carefully balanced forms. The whole thing feels so loaded with history, and with mystery. There is something unsettling about not knowing who made this. You can't really grasp it, can you? Which is perhaps the point...