Ontdekte ingang aan de noordzijde van de Grote of Schildkerk te Rijssen 1899

Curator: What an intriguing find, this 1899 photograph! The inscription tells us it’s of a ‘Discovered Entrance on the North Side of the Grote of Schildkerk in Rijssen’ by an anonymous photographer from Monumentenzorg. Editor: It has such a melancholic feel. The soft sepia tones, that pile of rubble... It feels like looking at a memory surfacing from the past. A sealed entry is mysterious. Curator: Absolutely. What's striking, from a formal point of view, is the use of light and shadow. The blocked doorway is plunged into darkness, creating a strong contrast with the sunlit bricks and the surrounding wall. Editor: That contrast gives it a tangible weight. You sense the texture of those old bricks, don’t you? Almost as if I could feel their secrets. Curator: And that texture is enhanced by the composition. The rectangular shape of the door set against the rough, uneven texture of the existing wall. It all comes together nicely. This opposition gives form to history versus...a change, as time passes? I wonder why they filled it in? Editor: Or maybe something no one wants to see is blocked? Whatever was on the other side is forever shut from view; such a shame that the identity of the person who photographed this is hidden too. To speculate for the photographer—it gives a story and context to an otherwise anonymous photograph of masonry. A blocked entrance and lost identity makes for a powerful sense of yearning and secrecy that time leaves behind. Curator: Fascinating to think about that photo from the era that has that meaning to it and yet, from a structural aspect, this visual relationship does show what can be the most powerful art is how elements collide! Editor: I see it your way: a convergence. This is like a key, but instead of unlocking a doorway, it gives viewers space to delve deep in.