Twee foto's van de winnende roeiboot van Nereus op de Varsity en koningin Wilhelmina in Amsterdam Possibly 1924 - 1927

Here we have two photographs taken by Hendrik Herman van den Berg of the winning Nereus rowing boat at the Varsity, and Queen Wilhelmina in Amsterdam. I’m immediately drawn to how light and shadow play out in the photographic image: the way the light catches on the water, and the silhouettes of the rowers. It’s all about capturing a moment in time, a fleeting glimpse of action and atmosphere. It’s interesting to think about how the artist has framed these scenes, choosing to focus on specific details while leaving other aspects to the imagination. As artists, we are all storytellers, using our medium to express something about the world around us. Van den Berg seems interested in capturing the energy of the race and the spirit of the crowd, preserving a slice of Dutch life during that time. You can see in both photographs, a certain uniformity, the synchronised movements of the rowers in the first photograph, and the rigid poses of the officials in the second. There’s a sense of connection and shared experience that transcends time.