Interieur van de Broerenkerk te Zwolle 1909

This photograph shows the interior of the Broerenkerk in Zwolle, and was made by an anonymous photographer working for Monumentenzorg. The photo is muted, almost monochromatic, and at first glance it may seem to simply depict a building, but look again. The soft light, the way the vaulted ceilings curve, and the rows of empty chairs invite you in. What was the photographer thinking, setting up the shot? The light is very soft and quiet and it looks like they may have been aiming to capture the silence of the place. I think there's more to it than just documentation. The photographer had to figure out how to translate a 3D space into a 2D image, picking the right spot. The long perspective lines draw the eye right back. The architecture makes me think of the spaces in a painting by a painter like de Hooch or Vermeer. In a way the picture makes me think that every work of art is like a conversation between artists across time, all responding to each other's ideas.