Windmolen aan een water met boten c. 1905 - 1907

Folkert Idzes de Jong made this photograph of a windmill on water with boats, probably around the turn of the century. It's a scene captured with such soft focus, it's like a hazy memory. The way the light reflects on the water, blurring the lines between the real and the reflected, it's almost like the whole image is breathing. I find myself drawn to the little details, the boats tied up along the edge of the canal, the figures strolling along the bank with a cart. They’re rendered so softly, that they seem like ghosts inhabiting a dream. It reminds me of some of Gerhard Richter’s blurred photographs, the way he uses the out-of-focus effect to create a sense of distance, of the past slipping away. It's a reminder that art isn't just about what we see, but how we see it, and that sometimes, the most beautiful things are the ones that are just out of reach.