Defilé op de Dam te Amsterdam bij de bevrijdingsfeesten op 28 juni 1945 Possibly 1945 - 1946

This photograph was taken on June 28, 1945, at the liberation festivities on Dam Square in Amsterdam. It’s by an anonymous artist, which gives me a strange sense of kinship with the maker. I can imagine that whoever took this photograph, their heart must have been so full of hope. I can almost feel the energy of the crowd, the sense of relief and anticipation. The symmetry of the building, the figures lined up on the balcony, and the soldiers below—it all speaks to a moment of restored order, a collective breath held and released. There’s something about the way the light falls, the texture of the stone, and the dark uniforms, that creates a poignant contrast. It reminds me that artists, whether they know it or not, are always in conversation with each other, drawing on the past to make sense of the present, capturing these fleeting moments for us to reflect on.