Maria Gonggrijp, zittend aan de waterkant 1912

This photograph, *Maria Gonggrijp, zittend aan de waterkant*, was made by an anonymous artist. It pictures a woman sitting by the water's edge. I love that it is anonymous, it is a reminder that artmaking is not only about the cult of personality of the artist. When I look at it, I feel for the artist, trying to capture a moment in time, a portrait of a person, and of nature. I can imagine them thinking of the composition, the light, the focus, and trying to translate a three-dimensional scene into a two-dimensional image. The grayscale is beautiful, the infinite shades conjure a world of depth and shadow. It's like a dance between control and chance, intention and accident. And then, the final image emerges, a testament to the creative process, and a reminder that artmaking is an ongoing conversation across time, inspiring new generations to pick up a brush, or in this case a camera, and create.