Lopend over kruiend ijs 1940 - 1945

This small gelatin silver print, “Lopend over kruiend ijs”, is by an anonymous photographer. What strikes me is the immediacy of the scene, the texture of the ice, and the way the figures seem to blend into the landscape. The image is dominated by whites and greys, but there's a real depth to these tones. You can almost feel the cold radiating from the photograph. Look at how the ice is rendered: each block is a slightly different shape, reflecting light in its own way, and leading the eye across the water. There's something almost abstract about the composition, with the solid ice contrasting with the rippling water. The figures are small, but they add a sense of scale and human presence to the image. I am reminded of some of Hiroshi Sugimoto's seascapes, in the way the horizon becomes an almost abstract division of the image. Ultimately, it is a photograph that invites contemplation.