Zomerhofstraat met Elec. Fiaduct / Lusthofstraat 1940

Curator: Look at this photograph—it feels like stepping back in time, doesn't it? It’s a gelatin silver print by Alie Rondberg-Vrauwdêunt from 1940, and it captures Zomerhofstraat met Elec. Fiaduct / Lusthofstraat. Editor: It’s bleakly beautiful, though “bleakly” might be the operative word here. There’s a heavy contrast, and the geometric arrangements are stark, but they communicate so much—formally speaking, it seems divided, yet connected, top to bottom. What I initially register is desolation, then strength. Curator: Exactly! Knowing the historical context – this was taken right after the bombing of Rotterdam in 1940 - heightens that emotional impact considerably. The street photography theme presents us with a visual record of destruction. Yet, amidst it all, there is evidence of human resilience in this gelatin-silver print. It portrays resilience; there's so much the people hold in that black and white frame. It’s incredibly poignant. Editor: Agreed, the monochromatic choice underscores the weightiness, focusing your eyes, your mind, precisely where Rondberg-Vrauwdêunt directs it. I am curious: do you see a possible relationship of influence to, or from, artists within the New Objectivity movement? Because of course I do. Curator: Perhaps. I feel there's a broader connection with the modernist movement generally. To your point about the heavy contrast, though: it almost exaggerates the interplay between what's present, standing firm, and what’s noticeably gone. Editor: Yes, yes! Absolutely. It reminds us that beyond representation, form is where an artist can say the things representation is too crude to capture. Curator: So true—like memories of people long gone that have marked our present. It feels like a quiet scream, doesn't it? This photo really gets under my skin in a deeply human way. Editor: It does the same for me, with this intense meditation, it forces us to acknowledge an elegy through this captured instant. Thank you for sharing this poignant experience with me!