Dijkherstel, december 1954 1954

Nieuwenhuijs created this gelatin silver print, Dijkherstel, in December 1954; it’s about the work involved in mending a dike. The composition is all about horizontals, the waterline in the background, the constructed lines of the dike itself, and a line of men. The photograph has a grainy texture, and this softens the image, giving it a sort of blur, as though we are seeing the scene through fog or mist. This seems appropriate for an image about the weather, wind, and water. The artist has positioned the viewer at the lower edge of the dike, close to the ground and the rocks that make up its construction. To look at this image is to consider our place in the world, the way we negotiate with nature, building things to keep the waters at bay. The image makes me think of a similar picture of laborers by the German photographer, August Sander, it's like a portrait, but of working people. There's so much ambiguity and suggestion in this piece.