Na de beschieting op de Dam Possibly 1945

Willem van de Poll made this photograph, sometime during the mid-20th century, probably with a small hand-held camera. It seems to capture something terrible that has just happened. The photograph is black and white. Look at the surface and how it makes visible what would otherwise be hidden. The lack of color lends it a stark, documentary feel, stripping away any potential for romanticism. The greyscale also creates a sense of uniformity across the different elements of the photo. Everything, from the rough cobblestones to the texture of the people's clothing, feels flattened, equally weighted. I keep looking at the texture of the road, the faces of the people, and the Dutch flag hanging above. You can see the weave of the cloth, like in a painting. I'm reminded of some of the photographs of Walker Evans or Dorothea Lange, who documented the Depression era. All of them have this eerie, quiet stillness. It’s a quality that reminds us that art can make a historical record. But it also shows us, maybe, how to feel.