Gezicht op de Nicolaaskerk te Amsterdam c. 1920 - 1940

This is G. Hidderley's photograph of Gezicht op de Nicolaaskerk te Amsterdam, made at some unknown point with what I presume was a camera. What strikes me about it is the way the photograph itself seems to be captured mid-motion. The buildings are a little unsteady, like the whole scene is shifting, reflecting in the canal. This isn't just a flat representation of the world. It feels lived-in and real. I am drawn to the reflections in the water, mirroring the buildings. There is a lovely soft focus on the dome of the church, just visible behind the buildings. Everything feels like it's caught between clarity and dissolution, which is what makes this piece so evocative. You can almost feel the dampness in the air and the slight unease of a city that is constantly moving and changing. It reminds me of Atget’s photographs of Paris, those melancholic cityscapes full of atmosphere and ambiguity.