Opengeslagen bijbel in de Doopsgezinde Vermaning te Zaandam 1942 - 1973

Cor van Weele made this photograph of an open bible in the Mennonite church in Zaandam. A table with a heavy, fringed cloth holds the book. On top of the open pages rest a pair of glasses. I can imagine Van Weele setting up the shot, adjusting the lamp to cast the right light on the holy book. What was he thinking about as he composed this image? Maybe the weight of tradition, the stories held within those pages. The glasses suggest a reader, someone engaging with these ancient words. It makes me think about how we interpret texts, how we bring our own experiences and biases to what we read. Van Weele's photograph isn't just a record; it’s an invitation to reflect on faith, knowledge, and the act of seeing itself. It brings to mind other photographers, like Eugène Atget, who documented the world around them with such care and attention. There’s a quiet reverence here.