Fotoalbum Duitse bezetting van Nederland Possibly 1940 - 1945

Here's a photo album cover from the period of the German occupation of the Netherlands. It’s anonymous, so we don’t know who made it, or why, or in what circumstances. But I can imagine them, working at home, perhaps using found textiles, weaving, stitching, layering, pushing and pulling the materials, creating these horizontal and vertical bars. The cover is made of interwoven strips of warm yellows, tans, browns, and whites, giving the object depth and complexity. Look at how the eye travels up and down and across the artwork, pausing and resting on the thicker dark brown lines. You can feel the artist's hand in the rhythmic pattern of marks. The texture is palpable. Maybe they were thinking about how memory is stored, or the importance of keeping a record of such a difficult and painful time. Artists are constantly in conversation with each other, across time and space. And even though we don’t know who this artist is, they’re part of that conversation too. Their work speaks to us today, inviting us to reflect on history, memory, and the power of art to bear witness.