Ruïnes van het Steiger te Rotterdam c. 1940 - 1945

This photograph of the Ruïnes van het Steiger te Rotterdam, by J. Nolte, freezes the moment in monochrome, as if capturing the silence after an explosion. You can almost feel the debris crunching underfoot. I imagine Nolte standing there, amidst the chaos, framing the shot. What was going through their mind? This photograph isn't just a record; it’s a ghostly encounter with the past. There are buildings standing like skeletons, reaching for a sky that seems just as wounded. It makes you think about the weight of history and how artists try to make sense of the world by capturing moments. It reminds me of other photographers who have documented conflict, like… well, you know the ones. There's a conversation happening here, across time, about destruction and resilience. It’s a dialogue, etched in light and shadow.