Aankomst van genodigden Possibly 1935

This photograph, "Aankomst van genodigden," which roughly translates as Arrival of Guests, might have been taken with a large format camera, but who can say for sure? What’s interesting to me, is the way in which a simple black and white photo like this can evoke so many different ideas about what photography might mean to different people at different times. I find myself wondering, what’s the role of the photographer here, are they a bystander, or a participant? The surface of the photograph appears untouched, there are no obvious darkroom manipulations that would reveal the hand of the artist. The image has an almost matter of fact quality, a document of an event, a record of a moment in time. It’s a moment of crossing, both in the sense of coming together and moving over the small bridge. This reminds me that art is always a process of conversation and exchange, a dialogue between artists across time and space.