1904
Matrozen roeien naar hun schip
Anonymous
@anonymousLocation
RijksmuseumListen to curator's interpretation
Curatorial notes
This photograph, "Matrozen roeien naar hun schip", by an anonymous artist, captures sailors rowing towards their ship, rendered in monochrome. It’s like looking at a memory, isn't it? The tones, all subtle sepias and greys, give it that dreamy, almost faded feel. I love how the light plays across the water, suggesting movement and reflection. The way the sailors are captured, slightly blurred, gives a sense of the ongoing process of their journey. It reminds me of Gerhard Richter's blurred photographs. And then you notice the texture – it’s not just the smooth surface of the print, but the graininess that hints at the materiality of the image itself. The photograph becomes a physical object, a moment frozen in time, yet also, it invites a sense of the fluidity and the passing of time. This piece, it feels like a gentle whisper rather than a loud declaration.