Maria Gonggrijp met gezelschap in een nederzetting in Suriname c. 1910

Justus Gonggrijp made this small photograph of his family and company in Suriname. It's printed in muted blacks and whites, typical for photography of that period. I wonder what it was like to live there? And what was Justus thinking when he asked them to pose in this shot? The architecture behind them—thatched roof, the posts holding it up—almost look like a drawing. There is a graphic quality in how the dark horizontal line of the forest in the background meets with the roof. In the foreground, the figures in lighter clothing and hats almost look like a stage set, somehow suspended in time and space. It reminds me of how artists and photographers are always borrowing from one another. Even though photography and painting use different tools and methods, they often share similar ways of framing the world. By playing with composition and light, Justus invites us to pause and reflect, encouraging us to engage in conversations across time and imagine the world through a fresh perspective.