Portret van een onbekende jongen, gekleed in een matrozenpak 1895 - 1933

This photograph of a boy in a sailor suit was shot by Dirk Pander in Leiden, Netherlands. Thinking about it as a kind of painting, I imagine the artist working in shades of gray, creating a world of quiet tones. It's kind of amazing how light can be made to feel heavy and weighty! I wonder if Pander was thinking about other artists and their work as he posed this boy. Does he recall the Dutch Masters, maybe, and the way they captured the solemn dignity of their subjects? What was it like to consider how to translate the fleeting reality of a living, breathing child into a still image? Look at the boy's face – that intense gaze! And what about the composition? The way he's framed by that little stone balustrade… I like that Pander decided to place the subject in a real place; it adds a level of depth.