Een roeischip met lokale bevolking langszij van een stoomschip in Indonesië. 1900 - 1915

This is a small photograph by Johanna Hermina Marmelstein of a rowing boat alongside a steamship in Indonesia. The sepia tones give the image a soft, dreamy quality, like looking at a memory. The texture of the water is incredible; you can almost feel the boat cutting through the waves. It’s fascinating how a photograph, a medium that strives to capture a moment, can also convey a sense of movement and time passing. Look at the figures standing on the boat; they seem poised between stillness and action, like actors on a stage. I’m reminded of Atget, who also used photography to capture fleeting moments of everyday life. Both artists invite us to slow down and pay attention to the beauty and complexity of the world around us. Art, like memory, is always a work in progress, a constant negotiation between what we see and how we feel.