Portret van een zittende vrouw en een staande man 1895 - 1920

This is a very small photograph made by Sandels J:or, of a seated woman and a standing man. I always wonder what the act of posing for a photo was like back then, when people had to sit still for so long. It’s a serious business, setting the stage for something, creating a version of yourself that will last. I look at their faces, her hand resting softly on her lap, and I feel how painting, like photography, is always about preserving a moment, isn’t it? Holding onto something that is already gone, or will be soon. Painters, photographers, we are all in this dance together, looking and trying to make sense of things. You could say art is a constant conversation, an ongoing exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another's creativity. I think making art is just embracing that ambiguity and uncertainty and allowing for multiple interpretations.