Ruïne van de Laurenskerk te Rotterdam, gezien vanaf de galerij c. 1940 - 1945

This photograph by J. Nolte captures the Ruïne van de Laurenskerk te Rotterdam, seen from the gallery, and it's all about the gritty details, not shying away from the stark reality. It's about texture and the story the surface tells, and that makes it deeply moving. The way Nolte plays with light and shadow, it's almost like the photo itself is a ruin. The thick columns standing in contrast with the blasted walls. There is a story of making and un-making happening here. Check out how the light falls on those figures in the background, they’re like ghosts in the doorway, caught in a moment of time, suspended and unsure. It makes me think of Moholy-Nagy, another artist who was obsessed with the possibilities of photography to reshape our understanding of space. But where he was interested in the future, this feels much more about the past.