Interieur van de Hervormde Kerk te Middelharnis na de brand 1904

This is a photograph, from an unknown date, by an anonymous photographer of the charred interior of the Hervormde Kerk in Middelharnis. It’s hard to tell what kind of camera and printing process the photographer used, but they have created a beautiful tonal range of browns and greys. What grabs me is the texture, or lack thereof, that's been flattened by the camera. The thick stone walls are rendered as delicate and papery. Look at the rubble in the foreground. You can sense the weight of it, but at the same time, it's as soft as dust. It's weird to think about how something can be both heavy and light at the same time, much like grief. There's a similar feeling to be found in Gerhard Richter's photo paintings, like *Woman Descending the Staircase*. Both artists are interested in how photography can both capture and obscure reality. And as in Richter's work, the ambiguity is the point.