Joegoslavië, april 1943

This small, black and white photograph titled Joegoslavië, april 1943, was taken in, well, April 1943, probably with a simple camera, by someone unknown. The anonymous photographer frames three different views, all in the same stark monochrome. On the left, a young girl at a washing line; in the center, a group of women doing laundry in what looks like a stream; and on the right, a young woman stands and stares at the camera. The grain is rough, and the composition is artless, and yet the combination of these three scenes brings together an intimate vision of life in wartime. Thinking about this photograph, I am reminded of the work of Helen Levitt, who also worked with simple cameras to capture intimate moments of everyday life. Like Levitt, this photographer finds beauty in the ordinary. Art is an ongoing conversation, and this image is a moving contribution to that conversation.