Strand en Frankrijk 1940 - 1943

Here's a page from an anonymous photo album, likely snapped with whatever camera was on hand. The images offer little slices of life and travel, a boat at sea, foamy waves, a roadsign for La Dordogne. I get this sense of someone trying to capture the feeling of being in a place, the ocean's movement, the light on the water. Each shot feels like a quick attempt to bottle up a memory, the textures of water and sky. I can imagine the photographer, squinting, quickly framing the picture, and clicking, just trying to hold onto something fleeting. The simple black and white palette gives a timeless feel. The graininess of the film makes me think of old documentaries. I am reminded of artists like Gerhard Richter, who also used photography in interesting ways. There is a strange beauty in this casual documentation, an accidental poetry. It makes you wonder about the stories behind each image, and how our own memories get shaped over time.