Koningin Juliana loopt in korte broek door Italiaans landschap 1962

This photograph of Queen Juliana in shorts in an Italian landscape, was taken by the Keystone Press Agency. It's interesting, isn't it, how a photo can feel like a painting and vice versa? Here, the grainy texture reminds me of charcoal, all greys, blacks, and the odd highlight. Look at the landscape, it’s almost a stage set; rocks, scrubby bushes, dry grass. Then, there's Juliana, in her chunky sweater and shorts. She's part of the landscape, but also apart from it, like a figure dropped into an abstract expressionist painting. The eye is drawn to the texture of the rocks behind her. They're not smooth or polished, but rough and uneven. It gives the whole scene a sense of authenticity. I’m reminded of the work of Lee Lozano, or maybe even Philip Guston, in its depiction of the ordinary. Like Guston, this photo shows how art can find the sublime in the everyday. It’s a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation, a continuous exploration of how we see the world.