Puinruimers bij de ruïnes aan de Korte Hoogstraat te Rotterdam c. 1940 - 1945

This photograph by J. Nolte shows the rubble at Korte Hoogstraat in Rotterdam. It’s a somber scene, and the high-contrast grayscale gives it a stark, almost sculptural quality. The texture here is all about the debris, isn't it? Look at how the light catches the broken edges of brick and stone, and how the artist captures all the varied shapes and sizes of the rubble, almost like a sea of fragments. I keep wondering what it was like to stand there. Focusing on the figures, the photograph captures a collective effort, a community trying to rebuild from scratch. It’s a powerful reminder that art doesn’t always have to be pretty. Sometimes, it’s about bearing witness. Think of Goya or Käthe Kollwitz, artists who similarly documented the realities of war and its impact on human lives. Art's not about answers, it's about asking the questions.