Wilhelm en Frieda Wesenhagen op de veranda 1905 - 1910

This sepia photograph shows Wilhelm en Frieda Wesenhagen on the veranda of their house. The image has been fixed but I can imagine Jacob Evert Wesenhagen carefully composing this scene, deciding where to stand, how much light to let in, and how to pose his subjects. It’s almost as if the artist is painting with light, layering tones and textures to create depth. There’s something so tender in how the figures are placed within the scene, creating a sense of intimacy and connection. I wonder what Wesenhagen was thinking as he framed this shot? Was he trying to capture a moment of peace, or perhaps something more complex? I think about artists like Gerhard Richter who use photography as source material for painting. There’s a similar sense of history and memory, and the way the image seems to transform over time, like a conversation between the artist and the viewer. It reminds us that art is always in dialogue with itself, constantly evolving and reinterpreting the past.