Op de receptie van de Regeringsvoorlichtingsdienst waren tal van journalisten aanwezig, die het nuttige met het aangename verenigden en menige informatie opdeden Possibly 1949

This photograph, "Op de receptie van de Regeringsvoorlichtingsdienst waren tal van journalisten aanwezig, die het nuttige met het aangename verenigden en menige informatie opdeden", now residing in the Rijksmuseum, captures a moment, a slice of time. Looking at it, I can almost hear the murmurs, the clinking glasses, the soft rustle of papers. The composition, with its cluster of figures leaning in, feels like a study in focus. It's interesting to think about the act of image-making, how the photographer decided on this particular framing, this arrangement of bodies and faces. It makes me wonder, what was the photographer thinking? What were the logistics of capturing this scene? For me, the photograph feels very much like it belongs to a certain era and school of thought. It reminds me of a certain time in history when the lines between image, journalism, and propaganda became very blurred, like a Francis Bacon painting. Ultimately, photography is a conversation that happens across time and culture. I think it is a powerful form of expression that gives us a way of seeing, thinking, and experiencing the world.