Molen voor suikerfabriek Possibly 1929

This photograph, Molen voor suikerfabriek, now in the Rijksmuseum, captures a sugar factory mill through the eyes of an unknown artist. The composition, stark and industrial, reminds me of the black and white photography of the Bauhaus movement. The artist makes no attempt to pretty-up the image, but instead draws our attention to the monumentality of the mill. The way light and shadow play across the machine's surface gives it an almost sculptural presence. You can imagine the photographer circling the machine, waiting for the right moment to capture its full, gritty essence. And there, in the background, we see a solitary figure standing beside this giant machine - a reminder of the human labor involved in sugar production. It makes you wonder about the relationship between man and machine, and the stories embedded in the industrial landscape. It's a stark image, but a beautiful one.