Burgemeester Mr P.J. Oud ontving de Indonesische gedelegeerden in het Rotterdamse Stadhuis Possibly 1949

This photo of Burgemeester Mr P.J. Oud receiving Indonesian delegates in Rotterdam was taken by the Government Information Service. It looks like it was a carefully considered occasion, which is probably why it was photographed. The image is quite small on the page, so it's hard to see details, but it is easy to see the light values and their distribution. Light is used to draw our attention to the main players. The greyscale creates an antique feel, like looking back in time to a different era. It reminds me of some of Gerhard Richter’s grey paintings in the way that it embraces the potential for image-making and erasure to exist simultaneously. The slight blur could be an attempt to represent the past as something fading from memory. The image is just one possible reading, and invites multiple interpretations.