Gezichten op Rotterdam en de hond Bessie 1939

Curator: Herman Besselaar gifted us "Gezichten op Rotterdam en de hond Bessie" ("Views of Rotterdam and Bessie the Dog"), created in 1939. It's an albumen print, a compilation of six snapshots on a single page. My immediate thought is that it evokes a particular, bittersweet kind of quietude, almost haunting. Editor: That quietude speaks to me too. It's the kind of melancholic calm right before upheaval. Consider the historical context: 1939, the brink of World War II. Cityscapes always hold a complex story of society and social structures. Curator: Exactly. Even the presence of Bessie, that inquisitive little terrier in two of the images, enhances the everyday quality but with a touch of endearment. Those glimpses are small gestures towards resilience, capturing ordinary moments that are poignant precisely because of their context. The way the artist juxtaposes landscape with architecture. Editor: Absolutely. There's a dialogue here between the natural world and the built environment. Notice the industrial forms on the horizon – factories and such. Besselaar documents both a pastoral serenity and encroaching urbanization, a visual tension reflecting broader social anxieties. The image speaks volumes about pre-war Netherlands, but not in a celebratory manner. It’s contemplative, even elegiac. Curator: It feels so personal, and yet simultaneously touches on universal themes. The way light plays on the water, it reminds me of simpler times and how that affects me today. It almost gives you a space for imaginative projection. Rotterdam, usually such a bustling port city, feels almost dreamlike in these fragments. The photos are all carefully arranged – he created some sort of harmony here that makes it easier for me to experience. Editor: And consider the dog itself. Why place it there with the Rotterdame views, even including two shots? The artist subtly humanizes a landscape undergoing monumental changes. Our animal friends and the environment is what endures no matter what happens to societal powers, as nature is indifferent, it offers us companionship without strings attached. In its silence, this albumen print holds space for narratives of resilience and reflection, beckoning us to engage with its layered meanings, while offering gentle beauty. Curator: You're right, its silence becomes incredibly potent. Like holding a fragile memory in your hands, or like a snapshot in time which shows history and the way humanity copes. Editor: Exactly. The more that has happened, the more important remembering the ordinary beauty and resilience is.