Water met een brug in het Amsterdamse Vondelpark c. 1905 - 1907

Folkert Idzes de Jong made this photograph of Water met een brug in het Amsterdamse Vondelpark sometime between 1877 and 1929. It’s all in silvery greys that create a melancholic atmosphere. You can almost feel the cold air of the park. I find myself wondering, what was De Jong thinking as he composed this shot? Maybe he was trying to capture the quiet stillness of the park, a moment of reflection in the midst of a bustling city. Photography, like painting, is all about capturing light and shadow, texture and form. Here, the bare trees create a skeletal framework against the sky, mirrored in the still water. It's as if De Jong wanted to capture the transient beauty of the natural world, a moment in time that would soon be gone. It reminds me how artists are always in conversation with one another across time, inspiring each other's creativity. Photography, just like painting, is a form of embodied expression, embracing ambiguity and multiple interpretations.