Vier portretten van mannen en van Malie Huizenga 1911 - 1917

This mounted set of four photographs by Carolina Onnen is, well, it’s got a muted palette that feels really humble. The sepia tones make it feel both aged and timeless, as if the images were discovered in an attic, full of whispers from the past. There’s a kind of tender imperfection to the printing, that makes you wonder about the artist’s hand – I mean, what was her process? Did she develop these herself? The surface has this matte finish, like soft paper, inviting you to touch, to feel the grain of history, and even though you can’t really see the brushstrokes, you can feel the artist's presence behind the lens. The light is diffuse, almost dreamlike, making each figure feel like a memory. It reminds me of Gerhard Richter’s photo paintings, that blurry, indistinct quality that speaks to the elusiveness of memory and the passage of time. You know, art's not about being perfect. It's more about the conversation, the dialogue between artists and their world.