Bezoek aan de Rijkswerf en doop van schip De Hertog Hendrik in Amsterdam 1901

Barend Groote captured the visit to the Rijkswerf and the christening of the ship De Hertog Hendrik in Amsterdam in a photograph of the time. The photograph is like a study in contrasts; the intricate scaffolding of the ship under construction against the solid mass of the assembled crowd. Note the delicate lines of the gangway leading up to the ship, in contrast to the blurred mass of onlookers, all hats and coats. The image is almost entirely grayscale, the sky a washed out white, the structure of the ship a deep black. I am reminded of some of Bernd and Hilla Becher's photos of industrial structures. Both artists share a similar focus on the visual language of industry and construction, but there is a human element to Groote's work that reminds us of the impact of these structures on human lives. There is something so beautiful about the way Groote embraced the ambiguity, the subtle gradations of gray in the photograph, allowing the scene to emerge and fade as if from memory.