Haft, Düsing en Bachmann in uniform op een terras 1941 - 1945

Editor: This is a photograph, "Haft, Düsling en Bachmann in uniform op een terras," dating from sometime between 1941 and 1945. It’s currently housed in the Rijksmuseum and is attributed to an anonymous photographer. There is something quite striking about the casual way they pose, yet it feels loaded with hidden context. What stands out to you most in this image? Curator: Well, first off, it’s a whisper from a tumultuous past, isn't it? Look at them, seemingly at ease on that terrace, but those uniforms tell a story of control. I think of all the untold stories swirling around these figures. It almost feels as if they are daring us to interpret them. What do you make of the setting? Does it amplify or diminish the power these men potentially wielded at the time? Editor: I think the ordinariness of the setting almost makes it more unsettling. The domesticity contrasts with the militaristic dress, highlighting how normalized this sort of… authority… had become. But do you see any reflections of German Expressionism here, considering that's one of the tags? Curator: Ah, clever observation! Perhaps not in the jarring angles and stark emotion typically associated with it, but consider the underlying unease, the distortion of normalcy... Expressionism wasn't always a scream; sometimes, it was a tightly wound silence, a pervasive mood. Think about how the stark black and white amplifies the ambiguity. Maybe it's in the quiet dread this image subtly evokes? Does that resonate with you at all? Editor: That makes a lot of sense. It’s less overt and more... internalized, almost. Seeing it that way really deepens my understanding of how movements can manifest in unexpected ways. I'll definitely keep that in mind moving forward. Thank you! Curator: And thank *you* for giving me new eyes on an old image. Art's all about that shared experience, isn't it? A constant peeling back of layers.