Onbekend meisje voor de ingang van een gebouw, 1956-1965?, Verenigde Staten c. 1956s

This photograph, taken by someone in the Wachenheimer family sometime between 1956 and 1965, somewhere in the United States, captures a moment, a pose. The little girl stands on the threshold, caught between the ordinary and something perhaps more idyllic. What was she thinking as she stood there? Was this a moment of play, a break from the day? I love how the sunlight catches her white socks and shoes. I can feel the heat radiating off the tiles on the step where she is standing, and I can imagine the cool, dark interior of the building behind her. It's a simple composition, but there's a push-pull dynamic between the different elements. The pastel colours have a strange, faded quality. But despite this it all feels so immediate, capturing a fleeting feeling. I think that the best art often comes from these kinds of personal moments, where the artist is just trying to capture a feeling or a memory. And when it all comes together, it’s like they’ve managed to freeze a little piece of life.