Gebouw van Rathkamp & Co. 1914 - 1919

This photograph of the Gebouw van Rathkamp & Co. was made at some point by an anonymous photographer, and, for me, that fact alone speaks volumes. The way this image sits in the grayscale, it’s not about sharp focus, more like feeling your way through the tonal shifts of light and shadow, much like life itself. The texture almost feels like you could touch it, doesn't it? The most telling aspect of this piece is the way the building looms in the foreground, with the bicycles casually abandoned as if time stood still, but, then there's that strange tree in the foreground which complicates everything. I think of Atget, who took very similar photographs in Paris. The photograph feels like an honest record, but maybe more about being alive. It embraces the idea that art, like life, is an ongoing conversation.