Marcherende militairen 1941 - 1945

Curator: This gelatin silver print, "Marcherende militairen," simply translates to "Marching Soldiers," and it's believed to have been taken between 1941 and 1945. Editor: The bleakness of the monochromatic palette perfectly conveys the somber mood. The composition, a seemingly endless line of soldiers, evokes a sense of relentless oppression. Curator: Right. The historical context is unavoidable. The visual language of military parades has always been about projecting power and control, especially during periods of conflict. How does this piece function within that context, would you say? Editor: I’d say it’s about dehumanization. Notice the way the light renders each soldier practically identical, uniform even at the resolution. It’s the image of bodies subjected to external authority, mirroring their labour and purpose solely directed to this same, almost mindless act. Curator: Indeed, it's interesting to consider the material and its production. Gelatin silver prints were the standard for photojournalism at the time. So was the image intended as a record, a piece of propaganda, or something else entirely? What would its circulation have looked like? Editor: That's fascinating. To think of the work it took to prepare the materials, and expose the image just to fix it into a portable state of capture that could serve specific intentions.. Was the labour captured the only labour involved here? The materiality speaks volumes. Curator: It's easy to see how something as simple as a photograph becomes loaded with political meaning. What are your closing thoughts here? Editor: It shows that art even in its photographic format can embody how physical practices influence broader societal beliefs and structures of power. Curator: Agreed. It underscores how the camera is rarely a neutral observer, but actively participating in constructing narratives. An especially grim, complex one, in this case.