Ruimen van puin op de Binnenweg te Rotterdam c. 1940 - 1945

This small, black-and-white photograph by J. Nolte captures the ‘Clearing of rubble on the Binnenweg in Rotterdam’. You can imagine the photographer Nolte, on site, framing up the shot. It feels like he is just there, trying to get something down on record. There’s a balance between the desire for a clear representation and the emotional need to capture the event as it unfolded. It’s like the trucks and figures are almost posing. The photograph suggests a sense of shared history and experience. It feels both personal and universal. The tones and texture have an immediate impact, conveying a sense of devastation but also resilience in the face of destruction. The rubble almost looks like a fresh impasto in the foreground, doesn’t it? It is part of an ongoing artistic conversation across generations, with each artist building upon the work of those who came before. Nolte has produced not just a historical document, but a touching memorial to those who lost their lives.