Directeuren van de Aanneming Maatschapij Grotius Possibly 1921

This photograph, Directeuren van de Aanneming Maatschapij Grotius, shows two men sitting amongst rattan furniture and potted plants in an airy room. The black and white image is quite soft in focus, which gives the impression of ease, or perhaps ennui. There is an area above and behind the two directors which has the appearance of a dropped ceiling. It is reminiscent of Agnes Martin's grids, in that it seems to hover between the concrete and the ephemeral, the 3D and the 2D. There are so many vertical lines here. There is the striped textile hanging on the wall, the slats of the blinds hanging over the terrace, and the upright reeds of the woven furniture. The eye is constantly drawn up and out. The darkness of the image lends a gravity to the upward movement and draws the eye to the light coming from outside. The image is a conversation between gravity and light. Whether accidental or not, the interplay of lines, dark and light, imbues the image with both rhythm and energy. Like a conversation, it seems to move between control and chaos.