Ruïnes bij de Gedempte Vest en de Schiedamsedijk te Rotterdam c. 1940 - 1945

J. Nolte created this photograph, 'Ruïnes bij de Gedempte Vest en de Schiedamsedijk te Rotterdam', using a camera and a monochrome film. Imagine Nolte standing there, maybe on a rooftop, framing this view of utter devastation in Rotterdam. It’s a cityscape reduced to rubble, a palette of greys capturing not just the ruins but, I think, the silence and stillness that follows such destruction. You can almost feel the weight of the subject on the artist, the need to bear witness. And I wonder, what does it mean to make art in the face of such destruction? There's a formal beauty in the composition, almost like Nolte is trying to find a sense of order amidst chaos. It’s this tension that gets me, the push and pull between horror and the impulse to create. It reminds me of other artists working in the aftermath of war, trying to make sense of the senseless. Nolte is part of this dialogue, offering a perspective on loss and resilience.