Drie Duitse soldaten op een terras 1941 - 1942

This small, black and white photograph, titled 'Three German Soldiers on a Terrace,' made by an anonymous artist shows us a lot about a very specific time. The grayscale tones create a somber mood, but it’s the way the light catches the edges of the terrace that really draws me in. The grainy texture, likely from the film, adds a layer of depth. I want to know what the surface of the photograph feels like in my hands. It almost conceals the process, but it also allows the viewer to project onto it. It's not a smooth surface, it's imperfect, and that gives it a strange kind of honesty, like a drawing. This photograph reminds me a little of Gerhard Richter's blurry, black and white paintings based on photographs, even though this is a straight photograph. Both artists engage with the ambiguity of images, prompting us to consider how we see and remember. It invites multiple interpretations, which I think is at the heart of what makes art compelling.