Gezicht op het Kasteel van Wijchen 1907

This photograph captures the Gezicht op het Kasteel van Wijchen, by an anonymous photographer working for Monumentenzorg, sometime in the past. It’s hard not to look at this image and think about ruin, decay, what’s been lost and destroyed – not only of matter, but also memory. The anonymous artist must have had a clear vision. The castle rises from the water, a silent fortress. Each brick, though worn, tells a story. I can almost see the photographer adjusting the focus, trying to capture the light just right, to preserve this moment, this ruin, in time. The texture is so clear, you can almost feel the rough edges of the brick and stone. Painters and photographers, we’re all in this together, trying to freeze a piece of time, a feeling, a thought, and share it with the world. In the end, it’s not just about the castle, is it? It's about what we see, what we feel, and what we remember when we look at it.